cremate

American  

[kree-meyt] / ˈkri meɪt /

verb (used with object)

cremated, cremating

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

2. to consume by fire; burn.

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cremate British  

/ krɪˈmeɪt /

verb

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

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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”; 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."

Example Sentences

They happen when people die in poverty, alone or without relatives who can afford to cremate or bury them.

From BBC • Jul. 15, 2025

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

From Slate • Oct. 3, 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

Before the 90-day waiting period is over, mortuaries are not allowed to embalm or cremate people without authorization from their next of kin, so the cooler is the only way to keep remains preserved.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 12, 2024

If you can not keep him embalmed on your shelf, is it not the wiser part, and the kinder, to cremate him?”

From The Book of Khalid by Rihani, Ameen Fares

Related Words

• char
• incinerate