Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

ashtray

American  
[ash-tray] / ˈæʃˌtreɪ /

noun

  • ashtrays
    plural
  1. a receptacle for tobacco ashes of smokers.


ashtray British  
/ ˈæʃˌtreɪ /

noun

  1. a receptacle for tobacco ash, cigarette butts, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of ashtray

First recorded in 1885–90; ash 1 + tray 1


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 looked as if I had been rolling around in a giant ashtray.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Fiji's ambassador to the UN, Filipo Tarakinikini, wrote on social media in April that the Vuda coast north of Nadi "must not become the Pacific's ashtray".

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

Baltimore Ravens legend Ed Reed frequently comments on his posts and recently sent him a branded cigar ashtray.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025

Rogue Paq Poppy Party Ashtray – The ultimate host’s ashtray, the Poppy Party Ashtray looks like a beautiful poppy, in polished brass or nickel-plated finishes.

From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2025

She digs around in her purse for her keys, and then she remembers—she stuck them in the ashtray of the car so she could find them easily!

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

The Mint struck its final circulating pennies on Nov. 12, 2025, each one costing 3.69 cents to produce, leaving roughly 300 billion of them in jars, couches and the ashtrays of America.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

She has made little cats, wreaths and ashtrays.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025

“We just have to police the regulations. We can’t have ashtrays on dining tables, for example.”

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2024

He thinks his approximately 567 pieces might possibly be the world’s largest collection of vintage ashtrays.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2024

The apartment was cluttered with little porcelain figures, decorative plates, and ashtrays from various nightclubs.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training