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.

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

She has since ended the contract, she said, and We Care has retrieved the ashes for all the pets it hired her to cremate.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 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