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:
In “Roughing It,” Mark Twain describes his visit to the lake, where he found “nothing but solitude, ashes, and heartbreaking silence.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
“One of the Republic’s cathedrals was going up in ashes and smoke.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
According to the death certificate, Mackie was cremated on Sept. 17, and his ashes were scattered off San Diego.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Companies devastated by the Sept. 11 attacks, including Cantor Fitzgerald, which lost 658 employees that day, also managed to rise from the ashes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
“Those ashes were in the house for days, just sitting there,” Margie recalled.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
They then face England in a one-off Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from 11 March, celebrating 150 years of the Ashes, prior to the Indian Premier League.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Much later, Bowie would draw on the imagery, dressing as the character of Harlequin in the video Ashes to Ashes.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
England's exit from the Men's Rugby League World Cup was confirmed on Sunday, exactly 12 months to the day after their Rugby League Ashes challenge officially ended.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
It is 11 months since knives were sharpening after four sessions of last winter's Ashes series.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Ashes scattered as he tamped, and a serpent of condensed smoke escaped into the already thick air.
From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
