cinders

cinders — noun

1. small pieces of wood or coal that have stopped burning but can still give off he

1.名詞B2
釋義

small pieces of wood or coal that have stopped burning but can still give off heat, often glowing red before they go cold.

例句

Talia raked the glowing cinders out of the fireplace before going to bed.

typical action: rake/sweep cinders from a fire

The campers tossed water onto the cinders to make sure no spark survived.

collocation: pour/toss water onto cinders

同義詞
  • embers

    often interchangeable with cinders, but embers usually still glow red; cinders may or may not

  • coals

    broader — coals can be unburnt fuel as well as partly burnt pieces

文法句型

cinders from [fire/fuel source]

用法筆記

Often used in the plural; treat as countable. Distinguish from sense 2 — sense 1 cinders can still be hot or relit, while sense 2 cinders are cold ash left behind.

常見錯誤

I added some cinders to the fire to start it.
I added some kindling to the fire to start it.
💡cinders are partly burned pieces, not fresh fuel for starting a fire.

2. the cold, grey fragments left after a fire has gone out — like ash, but in small

2.名詞B2
釋義

the cold, grey fragments left after a fire has gone out — like ash, but in small lumps rather than fine powder.

例句

After the warehouse fire, only blackened cinders remained where the storage room used to be.

after a destructive fire, only cinders remain

Élise swept the cinders out of the wood stove and carried them outside in a metal bucket.

collocation: sweep cinders out / carry away cinders

同義詞
  • ashes

    fine grey powder; cinders are lumpier and may include small charred fragments

  • remains

    general term for what is left after a fire; cinders is specifically the burnt material

文法句型

reduced/burned to cinders

用法筆記

Frequently appears in the fixed pattern 'reduced/burned to cinders', describing total destruction by fire. Distinguish from sense 1 — sense 2 cinders are cold leftovers, not still-hot fuel.

常見錯誤

The house was burned to ashes within an hour.
The house was burned to cinders within an hour.
💡for buildings or large objects, 'to cinders' is the more idiomatic fixed phrase.