ember

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A piece of wood or coal that is still glowing red after the flames have died down.

   Grammar: Often plural: the embers of the fire. It can be singular for one glowing piece.

   Patterns

   • the embers of something

   We sat watching the last embers of the campfire fade.

   A single ember jumped out of the fireplace and landed on the rug.

   She stirred the embers to bring the fire back to life.

2. 2nouncountablefigurativeliterary

   A faint remaining trace of a feeling, hope or activity that could still flare up again.

   Grammar: A figurative use, often with of: an ember of hope.

   Patterns

   • an ember of something

   An ember of hope kept her going through the winter.

   The embers of their old friendship were still warm.

   He tried to rekindle the embers of the old rivalry.

Word forms

Common combinations

glowing embers

The glowing embers kept the cabin warm for hours.

dying embers

They sat by the dying embers and talked quietly.

smoldering embers

Smoldering embers remained after the fire was put out.

stir the embers

He stirred the embers with a stick.

ember of hope

An ember of hope remained after the bad news.

fan the embers

The speaker fanned the embers of anger in the crowd.

Synonyms and how they differ

cinder

Cinder is a piece of burned material that may no longer glow, whereas an ember is still glowing.

ash

Ash is the powder left after burning and does not glow, so it comes after the ember stage.

spark

Spark is a tiny flash that leaps from a fire, while an ember is a longer-lasting glowing piece.

coal

Coal is the fuel itself, while ember is any glowing remains of fuel.

Opposites

Word family

smolder verb

to burn slowly without flame

rekindle verb

to light again or bring back to life

Commonly confused: ember or amber?

Practice

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