ashfall

noun

ash·​fall ˈash-ˌfȯl How to pronounce ashfall (audio)
: a deposit of volcanic ash

Examples of ashfall in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
According to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, eruptions at Fuego have been well-documented since 1524, producing major ashfalls, pyroclastic flows and lava flows over the centuries. — Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025 Including one or more explosive events, this sort of eruption would create ash clouds and cause ashfall over southcentral Alaska, the latter likely around a fourth-of-an-inch thick. — Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 17 Mar. 2025 Those eruptions each lasted a few hours and produced ash clouds that were carried downwind for hundreds of miles and minor ashfall, up to about a quarter inch, on south-central Alaska communities, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory’s release. — Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 13 Mar. 2025 In 1992, ashfall of about a quarter-inch in Anchorage prompted residents to stay inside or to wear masks if going outside to avoid breathing ash. — CBS News, 13 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ashfall

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ashfall was in 1886

Rhymes for ashfall

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Browse Nearby Words

Asheville
ashfall
ash field
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Cite this Entry

“Ashfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ashfall. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.

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