ashes

¹ British  

/ ˈæʃɪz /

plural noun

1. ruins or remains, as after destruction or burning

   the city was left in ashes

2. the remains of a human body after cremation

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Ashes ² British  

/ ˈæʃɪz /

plural noun

1. a cremated cricket stump in a pottery urn now preserved at Lord's. Victory or defeat in test matches between England and Australia is referred to as winning, losing, or retaining the Ashes

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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

Low property prices in the country mean that for many, it is more affordable to entomb the ashes of relatives in an empty apartment than pay for funeral costs.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Their loved one's ashes are placed inside and the space turned into an ancestral shrine.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Another said: "How will those enforcing these rules know if the apartments are being used just to store ashes? And how will they deal with those cases?"

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Martínez had the man’s body cremated, and stored the ashes in a wooden niche in the shelter’s small chapel.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026

I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment—it suddenly felt reckless being here with Old Joseph, stirring up the ashes of my family’s past.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan