cremate
Americanverb (used with object)
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cremates,
present (3rd person singular)
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cremated,
past participle, past
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cremating
present participle
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to reduce (a dead body) to ashes by fire, especially as a funeral rite.
-
to consume by fire; burn.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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crematesimple
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crematessimple
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have crematedperfect
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has crematedperfect
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am crematingprogressive
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are crematingprogressive
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is crematingprogressive
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have been crematingperfect progressive
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has been crematingperfect progressive
Past
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crematedsimple
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had crematedperfect
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was crematingprogressive
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were crematingprogressive
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had been crematingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cremate
First recorded in 1870–75; from Latin cremātus, past participle of cremāre “to burn to ashes”; see -ate 1
Explanation
When you cremate something, you burn it until only ashes are left. The word cremate is most often used to describe the ceremonial burning of dead bodies. If you burn a grilled cheese sandwich and there is nothing but black ashes left in the pan, you can say you cremated it. Usually, however, people use the verb cremate when they're talking about a practical or ceremonial burning of a body. Many people are cremated after dying, with their ashy remains either buried or scattered in a beautiful place. The Latin root word is cremare, "to burn or consume by fire."
Vocabulary lists containing cremate
The Devil's Arithmetic
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Bridge to Terabithia
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Mockingbird
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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.
See Examples For:
As for Spivey, she cried before heading to a funeral home for her daughter, dreading having to fill out a death certificate and decide whether to cremate or bury her firstborn child.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Disgraced funeral boss Robert Bush who failed to bury or cremate people and gave grieving families the ashes of strangers has offered those affected a written 'apology', but some have reacted angrily.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Besides the failure to cremate bodies placed in his care, it became apparent there were "much wider aspects" of Bush's offending, said Tams.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
The Patel family waited another month before they could cremate her remains, postponing Ashok's last rites so they could be done together.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
To cremate the body before an autopsy it was necessary to procure a physician's certificate that Rice had died from natural causes.
From True Stories of Crime From the District Attorney's Office by Arthur Cheney Train
Not to worry, he said, promising to put his new cremates to work: “We’ll catch up next weekend.”
From Washington Post ● May 31, 2020
It’s July 29, 1981, when Patrick cremates his mother—the day, as it happens, that Prince Charles marries Lady Diana Spencer.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 22, 2018
Nowadays, if you die in Pierce County and you fall into two categories - both indigent and unclaimed - the county cremates your body and disposes of your remains.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 3, 2016
The administrator’s office cremates unidentified migrants instead of burying them — a switch that saves the county roughly $860 a person, said Rosie Blankenship, assistant public administrator for Imperial County.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2016
A woman always embalms the corpse of a dead love; a man wisely cremates it, and plants a new love in the ashes.
From A Guide to Men Being Encore Reflections of a Bachelor Girl by Helen Rowland
Mr. Seelig runs the All Souls Remembrance Program, which inters cremated remains in a cemetery for anyone of any faith, free of charge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Cemeteries need not take up hundreds of acres, since mausoleums can contain thousands of cremated remains in much smaller space.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
During a search of the home last week, police also found the cremated remains of another surrogate child that had been mailed to the house; the baby died shortly after birth in Florida, Teymouri said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
The dead are traditionally cremated on funeral pyres in Hindu-majority Nepal, and the burials are viewed as long-term storage until families can retrieve them.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
I even imagine that this tree was once a person, some Decker who was cremated and had asked to have their ashes packed into a biodegradable urn with a tree seed to give it life.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
The family has also said Mexican authorities and funeral home representatives have repeatedly suggested cremating Blair’s remains.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2023
Several political parties in the country’s Congress have expressed support for cremating his remains, and analysts expect lawmakers to approve the bill.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 16, 2021
Workers in New Delhi on Tuesday building new platforms for cremating bodies, as the coronavirus takes an increasing toll on the country.Credit...
From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2021
The victim's family accused local police of cremating her body without their consent, although the authorities denied this.
From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2020
Several years ago--before the war--it burned down one night, cremating many memories.
From Red Masquerade by Louis Joseph Vance
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