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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

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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

Emma keeps Mabel's ashes next to a photograph of her tiny feet but she wanted a special place to feel close to her.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 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

Prized vinyl records and vintage audio equipment are nothing more than a blank mush, speckled with ashes and broken pieces.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

We took Mrs. Patterson’s ashes out to an island in Maine and Mr. P emptied the urn into the bay.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

Major matches next year include the second men's Ashes Test in late June, a women's Ashes one-day international in July, a men's Test against Bangladesh in May, and a men's ODI in September.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

He has not made a Test hundred since, including failing to do so during last winter's Ashes, but has been in excellent white-ball form and has overseen a resurgence in England's 50-over and T20 sides.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

Williams, 31, who was part of those squads and captain when England lost 3-0 in the Ashes in 2025, dismissed any idea that baggage could inhibit the group now at head coach Brian McDermott's disposal.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

The trip will be Brook's first return to Australia since a nightclub incident in Wellington, New Zealand, last October was revealed on the final day of the Ashes series in January.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

I try to think outside the box— most men use football teams as passwords, I think, but Tom isn’t into football; he quite likes cricket, so I try Boycott and Botham and Ashes.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

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