ashes 1 of 2

plural noun

as in rubble
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed a new and more splendid city was built on the ashes of the old

Synonyms & Similar Words

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ashes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of ash
as in incinerates

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ashes
  1. incinerates
  2. ignites
  3. torches
  4. lights
  5. kindles
  6. burns
  7. fires
  8. inflames
Verb
  • With the transformer clicked on, one associate of Blaine and Anneliese's immediately incinerates.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
  • In 2025, French firm Veolia flexed its global leadership in PFAS treatment by opening a massive plant in Delaware that filters PFAS from water and incinerates it to break the bond between fluorine and carbon, one of the strongest in chemistry.
    — Don Steinberg, Time, 30 Apr. 2026
Definition of incinerates
Verb
  • This is the area where, if an ember lands and ignites something — a pile of firewood, a trash can or a deck — fire can break into the house and burn it down.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Continue reading … DOUBLE STANDARD — Attorney warns higher education is 'failing' as student faith fight ignites.
    — , FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of ignites
Verb
  • Continue reading … BENCH WARRED — Blanche torches Trump foe Boasberg after appeals court blocks judge again in deportation fight.
    — , FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Hopper cut off a Demogorgon’s head, and Murray torches quite a few.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 12 Nov. 2025
Definition of torches
Verb
  • Alex Consani walks into a room and lights the whole thing up.
    — Time, Time, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Fellow junior defensive back Cody Dean echoed that sentiment, noting that the way the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Garey plays above his size lights a fire under his teammates.
    — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of lights
Verb
  • While Martin Scorsese called it one of the scariest movies of all time, The Uninvited kindles a wonderful romance between Rick and Stella.
    — Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
  • The star of Big Little Lies confessed her new film, Caught Stealing, kindles a powerful yearning for some aspects of the era.
    — Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Definition of kindles
Verb
  • The friction causes an electrical shock that burns Clancy, and Lisa steals his keys.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The Aspen Acres Fire burns behind homes on July 3, 2026, in Rye, Colorado.
    — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of burns
Verb
  • After all, what could go wrong sitting atop three million barrels of oil while a hostile country fires missiles and drones at it?
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Andrew Garfield stars as Altman, with Anora‘s Yura Borisov playing Ilya Sutskever, the chief scientific officer and co-founder of OpenAI who fires Altman.
    — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of fires
Verb
  • Asthma is a chronic condition that inflames the airways and can make breathing difficult.
    — Sanja Jelic, Verywell Health, 29 Apr. 2026
  • The episode inflames the diplomatic spat between the two countries that began over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments about Taiwan.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of inflames
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

ashen
ashes
ashing
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Cite this Entry

“Ashes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ashes. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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