ephemera
noun
ephem·era
i-ˈfe-mə-rə 
-ˈfem-rə
plural ephemera also ephemerae
i-ˈfe-mə-rē
-ˈfem-rē
or ephemeras
1
: something of no lasting significance
—usually used in plural
2
ephemera plural
: paper items (such as posters, broadsides, and tickets) that were originally meant to be discarded after use but have since become collectibles
Examples of ephemera in a Sentence
He has a large collection of old menus and other ephemera.
Recent Examples on the Web
Converge 45 also wrote the grant to secure $30,000 from the Ford Family to produce Watt’s piece, a room sized installation of neon and ephemera mounted on freestanding wooden panels.
—
Briana Miller | , oregonlive, 11 Sep. 2023
His finds come from the Internet, ephemera dealers, booksellers, auction houses.
—Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 3 July 2023
The exhibition shares the stories of eight LGBTQ+ elders through oral histories, images, art and ephemera.
—Steven Vargas, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2023
The show includes some 125 items — not just maps, but also guidebooks, pamphlets, and other ephemera.
G.W. Bromley & Co., Boston, Massachusetts, South Station Site After, Plate 12, 1902.WardMaps LLC
The maps range in date from 1634 to the present.
—Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2023
After debuting in Los Angeles and then moving to New York City, the exhibit has come to the Holocaust Museum in Houston for a summer-long residency, with new, Texas-specific ephemera provided by none other than Ziggy Gruber, co-founder of Kenny & Ziggy's.
—Brittanie Shey, Chron, 11 May 2023
Where to Shop Main Street Aurora’s main drag has an array of cute little shops, with an ever-changing array of antiques, ephemera, and sundries.
—Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 22 Aug. 2023
People have been collecting ephemera related to baseball, soccer, and various other sports since who knows when.
—Paul Croughton, Robb Report, 6 Aug. 2023
Branca is equally fond of such quirky ephemera as wax and marble feet and antique intaglios.
—Ingrid Abramovitch, ELLE Decor, 4 Aug. 2023
See More
Briana Miller | , oregonlive, 11 Sep. 2023
His finds come from the Internet, ephemera dealers, booksellers, auction houses.
—Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 3 July 2023
The exhibition shares the stories of eight LGBTQ+ elders through oral histories, images, art and ephemera.
—Steven Vargas, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2023
The show includes some 125 items — not just maps, but also guidebooks, pamphlets, and other ephemera.
G.W. Bromley & Co., Boston, Massachusetts, South Station Site After, Plate 12, 1902.WardMaps LLC
The maps range in date from 1634 to the present.
—Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2023
After debuting in Los Angeles and then moving to New York City, the exhibit has come to the Holocaust Museum in Houston for a summer-long residency, with new, Texas-specific ephemera provided by none other than Ziggy Gruber, co-founder of Kenny & Ziggy's.
—Brittanie Shey, Chron, 11 May 2023
Where to Shop Main Street Aurora’s main drag has an array of cute little shops, with an ever-changing array of antiques, ephemera, and sundries.
—Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 22 Aug. 2023
People have been collecting ephemera related to baseball, soccer, and various other sports since who knows when.
—Paul Croughton, Robb Report, 6 Aug. 2023
Branca is equally fond of such quirky ephemera as wax and marble feet and antique intaglios.
—Ingrid Abramovitch, ELLE Decor, 4 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ephemera.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Greek ephēmera, neuter plural of ephēmeros
First Known Use
1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near ephemera
Cite this Entry
“Ephemera.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ephemera. Accessed 24 Sep. 2023.
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