ember

American  

[em-ber] / ˈɛm bər /

noun

• embers
  plural

1. a small live piece of coal, wood, etc., as in a dying fire.

2. embers, the smoldering remains of a fire.

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ember British  

/ ˈɛmbə /

noun

1. a glowing or smouldering piece of coal or wood, as in a dying fire

2. the fading remains of a past emotion

   the embers of his love

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• embers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of ember

before 1000; Middle English eemer, emeri, Old English ǣmerge, ǣmyrie (cognate with Old Norse eimyrja, Old High German eimuria ), equivalent to ǣm- (cognate with Old Norse eimr steam) + -erge, -yrie, akin to Old English ys ( e ) le ember, Latin ūrere to burn

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Explanation

An ember is a little piece of wood or coal in a fire that's dying. Embers are hot and glowing. When the fire is out and the embers are glowing, it’s time to call it a night. Embers (usually plural) are smoldering pieces of wood or coal — usually very small — that burn brightly as a fire starts to fade. When you see embers, the fire isn’t finished yet, but it’s almost done. If you’re camping and you put out a fire, don’t leave it alone until the embers go out, too. People also use embers as a metaphor for other things that are starting to fade, like the last embers of a dying friendship.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ember embers

He stayed in his truck outside the affordable senior complex, trying to keep an eye on things: warding off looters, putting out ember flare-ups, responding to flooding when the building’s sprinklers finally burst back on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025

Marrone said he believed they should have taken the ember cast into account.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025

Shawn Tyrie, a partner with McChrystal Group, acknowledged Tuesday that the satellite images they used don’t provide a “definitive picture,” particularly in cases with extreme wind, ember cast and smoke.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025

India Today magazine called the film a "dead ember".

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2025

Their russet hair looked almost gray in the color-stealing light of the moon, but each time they passed beneath a street lamp the auburn sheen glowed like an ember.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

In the 19th century, locomotives threw off hot embers that set nearby fields and barns ablaze.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

"Our facilities and infrastructure for firefighting are very limited," he told AFP, standing on the smouldering embers of a peatland fire separated from a residential settlement by a narrow dirt road.

From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026

The wind could change the direction and speed of a fire, he added, while burning embers could be carried ahead of the main flames and set fire to new areas.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

As the night grows black and the last embers start to dull, “Her Private Hell” sends you off to bed wondering if it could all be true.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

My habitual mood of humiliation, self-doubt, forlorn depression, fell damp on the embers of my decaying ire.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

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