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• ashes
  ashes

  plural noun

  ruins or remains, as after destruction or burning
• Ashes
  Ashes

  plural noun

  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

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

See Examples For:

ashes Ashes

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

Though her urn remains in the place she loved most, Landers hopes, someday, to bury her ashes in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery next to her youngest son.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Queen Camilla said seeing the library rise from the ashes was a "happy ending" to "such a terrible story".

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

“Refusing to tear my clothes and smear ashes on my face in performative mourning for a white man that espoused violence is … not the same as violence,” Attiah said in another post.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

When the smoke cleared, the tree was burned to a pile of ashes.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

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

Before the Derby incident, Carse had not played for England since the Ashes in January because of a wrist injury.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Pope has been handed a new 12-month England contract despite not playing international cricket since the third Ashes Test in Australia last December.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Ashes fluttered like moths, and Dedd ground them to dust on the floor.

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