ashes
plural noun
ruins or remains, as after destruction or burning
Jump to:
ashes
1 British
/ ˈæʃɪz /
plural noun
-
ruins or remains, as after destruction or burning
the city was left in ashes
-
the remains of a human body after cremation
Ashes
2
British
/ ˈæʃɪz /
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of Ashes
from the mock obituary of English cricket in The Times in 1882 after a great Australian victory at the Oval, in which it was said that the body would be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Shoaib Bashir is named in the squad despite being ignored for the entire Ashes series and will vie for the spinner's spot with Rehan Ahmed.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
Tongue was impressive during the Ashes, while Atkinson is named despite suffering a concussion inflicted by Tongue during Surrey's County Championship match at Nottinghamshire at the weekend.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
Of the pace bowlers who played for England during the Ashes, Jofra Archer will not be ready for the first Test because of his Indian Premier League commitments and Brydon Carse has a broken wrist.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
Ben Duckett also had a disappointing Ashes, albeit with more credit in the bank than Crawley.
From BBC • May 11, 2026
Curly and Nippy done the same as Ashes.
From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
