ash

verb

Definition of ashnext
as in to kiln

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of ash In Figments of Freedom, written, directed by and starring Webber, a Marine goes AWOL, burns his life to ash, and vanishes into America’s fractured heart. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2026 Sixty-four of its cities had been reduced to rubble and ash by incendiary bombs, as a submarine blockade strangled its economy, cutting off food, fuel, and raw materials. — James M. Scott, Time, 10 Aug. 2026 Usually used to ward off frost and pests, these permeable materials offer a budget-friendly physical barrier against dust and ash too. — Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Aug. 2026 Through it all, their bullpen was consistent … in the way that an uncontained wildfire consistently turns acreage to ash. — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 15 July 2026 Now, the cabin where those memories were made has been reduced to ash. — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 June 2026 The fires in West Miami-Dade that have sent smoke, soot and ash into nearby communities, prompting over 200 people to leave their homes, is more than half contained as of Thursday, according to the Florida Forest Service. — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 18 June 2026 In less than 24 hours, the deadly flames reduced the entire city to ash, displacing generations of families overnight. — Samantha Stokes, Essence, 6 May 2026 Many homes were reduced to ash, forcing residents into temporary housing, long-term rentals or out of the area. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ash
  1. incinerate
  2. light
  3. cremate
  4. ignite
  5. kindle
  6. torch
  7. fire
  8. burn
Verb
  • The truck eventually explodes, seemingly incinerating the T-1000.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • There’s Spokane, the growing eastern Washington city of 230,000 where fires this summer incinerated more than 800 structures.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of incinerate
Verb
  • During the first hour, pine grove owners urged fire commanders to light a backfire a few hundred yards from Le Porge.
    — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Down the hall, his girlfriend examines her birth chart, lights the palo santo and wonders whether Mercury is going to wreck her Tuesday.
    — Ryan Zickgraf, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of light
Verb
  • Medical examiners typically cremate remains after a certain period of time if they are not claimed, which prevents family members from making an identification at a later time, Hess said.
    — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The village’s daily rhythms are ordered by the passing trains—until a train arrives from Pakistan loaded with the corpses of Sikh refugees, and the community is made to cremate the dead.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026
Definition of cremate
Verb
  • The explosion, which involved more than a million pounds of fireworks, killed seven people and ignited a 78-acre wildfire.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • While Alaska’s smokejumpers waited for thunderheads to ignite fires, several of them worked in the loft, an airy room crammed with sewing machines and bolts of fabric on long tables.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of ignite
Verb
  • This wildfire season was supercharged by heavy rains in January that spurred vegetation growth, which became kindling when the summer heat arrived.
    — Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
  • In northern states, like Washington and Oregon, the dry weather could further kindle destructive fires that have scorched thousands of acres.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of kindle
Verb
  • Video showed locals draped in Spanish flags, shouting anti-migrant slogans, and singing Spanish songs, torching the camp and throwing migrants’ belongings in the Mediterranean or into bonfires.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Cecilia Zandalasini torched New York for 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting by halftime before ending with 20 points.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of torch
Verb
  • The scale of this reliance was particularly evident during the 2022 fighting in the Donbas region, when Russian forces were firing approximately 20,000 artillery rounds per day, with peak rates exceeding 32,000 rounds on some days.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Iran still has enough drones and missiles to fire at vessels transiting the vital energy waterway, through which 20% of the world’s oil normally flows, effectively controlling much of the traffic in the strait.
    — Konstantin Toropin, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of fire
Verb
  • Fans of Dolly Parton have erected a memorial at the legendary singer-songwriter’s star on Nashville’s Music City Walk of Fame, placing flowers, cards and candles that continue to burn into the morning hours.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • At least five structures are known to have been burned, and additional damage assessments are expected to be conducted later Tuesday today.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of burn

Browse Nearby Words

as good as
ash
ashamed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ash.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ash. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on ash

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ash

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All