noun
amber
AM-buh
noun
1
A hard, translucent, yellow-to-brown fossilized tree resin, used in jewellery and sometimes containing preserved insects.
"The museum displayed a piece of amber with a prehistoric fly trapped inside."
2
A yellowish-orange colour, like that of the resin.
"The room was lit in a warm amber glow at sunset."
3
The middle light of a traffic signal, signalling drivers to stop if it is safe to do so.
"He sped up as the light turned to amber."
adj
1
Of a brownish-yellow colour.
"She wore an amber necklace that matched her eyes."
How to Use Amber
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA gold-brown fossil resin, its colour, or the yellow traffic light.
UK vs US
British English calls the middle traffic light "amber"; American English usually calls it "yellow".
Common pairings
amber light
amber necklace
trapped in amber
amber alert
Word Forms
more amber comparative, ambered past tense, ambers plural, ambers singular, most amber superlative
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Etymology
From Old French ambre, from Arabic anbar ("ambergris") — originally referring to a waxy whale product before the name shifted to the fossil resin.