a pale yellow, sometimes reddish or brownish, fossil resin of vegetable origin, translucent, brittle, and capable of gaining a negative electrical charge by friction and of being an excellent insulator: used for making jewelry and other ornamental articles.
the yellowish-brown color of resin.
of the color of amber; yellowish-brown.
amber fields of grain.
made of amber.
amber earrings.
a yellow or yellowish-brown hard translucent fossil resin derived from extinct coniferous trees that occurs in Tertiary deposits and often contains trapped insects. It is used for jewellery, ornaments, etc
( as modifier )
an amber necklace
a strange relic or reminder of the past
a medium to dark brownish-yellow colour, often somewhat orange, similar to that of the resin
( as adjective )
an amber dress
an amber traffic light used as a warning between red and green
Certain trees, especially conifers, produce a sticky substance called resin to protect themselves against insects. Normally, it decays in oxygen through the action of bacteria. However, if the resin happens to fall into wet mud or sand containing little oxygen, it can harden and eventually fossilize, becoming the yellowish, translucent substance known as amber. If any insects or other organisms are trapped in the resin before it hardens, they can be preserved, often in exquisite detail. By studying these preserved organisms, scientists are able learn key facts about life on Earth millions of years ago.
1350–1400; Middle English ambre < Old French < Medieval Latin ambra < Arabic ʿanbar ambergris; confusion of the dissimilar substances perhaps because both were rare, valuable, and found on seacoasts
Amber is a brownish yellow color. Many cats have green eyes but those with amber eyes are likely to have yellow or white fur. Amber is also a translucent golden or honeyed-yellow colored gemstone, often used to make jewelry. That's where the color amber gets its name. Amber comes from the ocean floor — most of it is harvested from the Baltic Sea off the coast of Russia. The most likely origin of amber is the Latin word for "bitter," amarus, as the color yellow was often associated with bitterness and envy.
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It has put in place an amber health warning for four regions, including London, warning of increased risk to those over 65 years old or with pre-existing health conditions.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Nevertheless the moon, which is described as an orange, amber or golden orb, will still appear full to the naked eye overnight on Tuesday and Wednesday.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Walking through the Redondo Beach farmers market, I found myself staring at a small amber jar labeled “Bison Tallow Moisturizer.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
There is a further Met Office amber warning in place for extreme heat on Saturday that is valid until 21:00 across south-east England and East Anglia.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Trade was mostly limited to prestige items such as shells, amber and pigments.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
Amber and yellow heat health alerts, external are in effect across much of England until 09:00 BST Wednesday, with temperatures expected to reach more than 30C in some areas.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
The production reunites the original Broadway cast — André De Shields, Patrick Page, Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada and Amber Gray — six years after the show debuted and swept the Tonys in 2019.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The political consultant Amber Lee declined to comment when reached by the Anchorage Daily News.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
Amber heat health alerts are in place across parts the Midlands, eastern and southern England until 12 July.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Amber and I climb onto opposite sides of Charlotte's bed.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
I would swim early in the morning when the water was still or late at night as the sun set, casting stunning ambers and pinks streaks through the sky.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2025
The sunrise ambers and midnight blues of Joshua Cutts’s lighting design illuminate Michael’s states of mind as much as they do time and place.
From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2023
The set design by Clint Ramos and Miguel Urbino emphasizes depth of field, its white framework a receptive canvas for Linda Cho’s refined midcentury costumes and the warm ambers of David Weiner’s lighting.
From New York Times ● Jun. 22, 2023
Set in the close-grained wood Were quaint devices; Patterns in ambers, And in the clouded green of jades.
From Sword Blades and Poppy Seed by Lowell, Amy
By and by the moon rose out of the pearl-greys and ambers in the east, bevies of black rooks flew homeward, and stillness settled over the face of the brown lake.
From Penelope's Irish Experiences by Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
