ephemera

noun

ephem·era | \i-ˈfe-mər-ə,

-ˈfem-rə\

plural ephemera also ephemerae\i-ˈfe-mər-ē,

-ˈfem-rē \ or ephemeras

Definition of ephemera

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

This intensely personal show will gather art and ephemera that reflect the ways in which Borensztein has used the camera as a way of recording and understanding his daughter’s life and conditions. — Carolina A. Miranda, latimes.com, "Datebook: Shots of old Route 66, dreamlike paintings and garments fashioned from paper," 12 July 2018 Baldwin, a former health care executive who has a MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, is a businesswoman who never planned on dealing in garden antiques, stoneware, and ephemera. — Cindy Atoji Keene, BostonGlobe.com, "For Gray Baldwin, ornamental is fundamental," 25 May 2018 His collection of Cuban photos and ephemera — which today tops out at more than 8,000 individual items — includes rarities from Cuban history dating back to the early days of photography. — Lily Rothman, Time, "Previously Unpublished Photos Capture Life in Cuba Before Revolution," 23 May 2018 Late spring isn't just for wildflowers and Star Wars ephemera. — Michael Calore, WIRED, "Watch the Google I/O 2018 Keynote Live," 8 May 2018 Sketches of works in progress and general ephemera. — Ted Loos, WSJ, "With Three New Shows, Artist Mary Corse is Finally Having Her Moment," 1 May 2018 Five of the 23 Noonan Building artists Noonan tenant since: 1998 Embosses ephemera with minimalist Victorian designs on a 19th century-style Chandler & Price letterpress. — Leilani Marie Labong, San Francisco Chronicle, "The waning days of a Dogpatch artists’ enclave," 13 Apr. 2018 That aspect could be improved, too, either showing ephemera in a window during commercial breaks or airing it instead of the highlight packages that fans can get elsewhere. — Jacob Feldman, SI.com, "Wimbledon Embraces Technology and Tradition in Unique Way," 2 July 2018 The walls of the tavern, which has dark brown pressed-tin ceilings and equine silhouettes galloping across every surface, are lined with paintings and ephemera paying homage to Thomas. — Jennifer Larue, The Seattle Times, "Soaking up Manhattan’s literary history: A book lover’s bar-hopping guide," 2 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ephemera.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

28 Aug 2018

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Time Traveler for ephemera

The first known use of ephemera was in 1650

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More Definitions for ephemera

ephemera

noun

English Language Learners Definition of ephemera

: things that are important or useful for only a short time : items that were not meant to have lasting value

See the full definition for ephemera in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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