ember

American  

[em-ber] / ˈɛm bər /

noun

embers plural

1. a small live piece of coal, wood, etc., as in a dying fire.

2. embers, the smoldering remains of a fire.

---

ember British  

/ ˈɛmbə /

noun

1. a glowing or smouldering piece of coal or wood, as in a dying fire

2. the fading remains of a past emotion

   the embers of his love

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• embers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ember

before 1000; Middle English eemer, emeri, Old English ǣmerge, ǣmyrie (cognate with Old Norse eimyrja, Old High German eimuria ), equivalent to ǣm- (cognate with Old Norse eimr steam) + -erge, -yrie, akin to Old English ys ( e ) le ember, Latin ūrere to burn

Explanation

An ember is a little piece of wood or coal in a fire that's dying. Embers are hot and glowing. When the fire is out and the embers are glowing, it’s time to call it a night. Embers (usually plural) are smoldering pieces of wood or coal — usually very small — that burn brightly as a fire starts to fade. When you see embers, the fire isn’t finished yet, but it’s almost done. If you’re camping and you put out a fire, don’t leave it alone until the embers go out, too. People also use embers as a metaphor for other things that are starting to fade, like the last embers of a dying friendship.

Example Sentences

Solar supplied 12.8% of U.S. electricity last month while coal accounted for 12.2%, according to a report from the clean energy think tank Ember.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026

The savings they make from substituting from diesel can pay for the roughly $60 cost of a 420-watt solar panel in three months, down from six months before the war, Ember analysis shows.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

It’s equivalent to Spain’s entire existing solar capacity, according to Ember analyst Euan Graham.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

"You have the individual consumer response to what they are seeing in terms of the price of petrol or diesel suddenly surge," said Euan Graham, an electricity and data analyst at energy think tank Ember.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

It was not bare stone, as in Ember; something soft covered it, like silvery hair, as high as their knees.

From "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau

Related Words

• ash
• cinder