Synonyms

cremate

American

[kree-meyt] / ˈkri meɪt /

verb (used with object)

cremated, cremating

to reduce (a dead body) to ashes by fire, especially as a funeral rite.
to consume by fire; burn.

cremate British

/ krɪˈmeɪt /

verb

(tr) to burn up (something, esp a corpse) and reduce to ash

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

cremation noun
cremationism noun
cremationist noun
uncremated adjective

Etymology

Origin of cremate

First recorded in 1870–75; from Latin cremātus, past participle of cremāre “to burn to ashes”; -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Wellman, owner of Sorrento Valley Pet Cemetery, stepped in to offer to cremate the remaining bodies, and says Angel Paws’ operation was “disorganized and unprofessional.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025

Those who opt to bury or cremate on their own pay a funeral home.

From Slate • Oct. 3, 2024

“I’m never going to get a dime from them, so, I don’t know, it’s a little frustrating,” Crystina Page, who hired the funeral home to cremate her son’s remains in 2019, told the Associated Press.

From BBC • Aug. 6, 2024

When Cheryl Irvin’s 72-year-old husband died at their home near Vancouver from a heart attack Feb. 25, she expected to obtain his death certificate, cremate him and hold a memorial within a week.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 12, 2024

It was hopelessly smelly and ruined; so I am going to cremate it and this is your splinter new one and a fresh pad and pillow.

From The Harvester by Stratton-Porter, Gene

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023