ashes
plural noun
ruins or remains, as after destruction or burning
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.
See Examples For:
"I've got his ashes, I've got his dog's ashes, pictures on the walls, candles," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Valeant renamed itself Bausch Health in 2018, and some investors saw value in the ashes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
A source told The Times that they were looking at the possibility that discarded ashes from the vineyard sparked the major fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
According to Prime Video, the series will mirror the game's story, which sees Kratos, accompanied by Atreus, set out on a journey to spread the ashes of his wife.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
When the great rocket designer Sergei Korolev died in 1966, Gagarin said, “I won’t feel right until I’ve taken Korolev’s ashes to the moon.”
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
And Australia-born Brimson - who made his England debut in last year's Ashes series against the Kangaroos - is one of four such players in the squad, alongside England debutant Max King.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Though a white-ball tour will not have the same profile as the Ashes, the tourists can still expect a degree of hostility from the home fans.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
The concern for Australia comes when they are not fit, with Hazlewood having missed all five of last winter's Ashes Tests and Cummins four.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
After what appears to be a stern challenge against New Zealand in their home summer, Cummins' men then travel to India and defend the Ashes in England next year.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
I couldn’t let Pap know, but that one’s name was 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.
