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incinerator

American  
[in-sin-uh-rey-ter] / ɪnˈsɪn əˌreɪ tər /

noun

  1. a furnace or apparatus for burning trash, garbage, etc., to ashes.

incinerator British  
/ ɪnˈsɪnəˌreɪtə /

noun

  1. a furnace or apparatus for incinerating something, esp refuse

"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

Etymology

Origin of incinerator

First recorded in 1880–85; incinerate + -or 2

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.

The project comes around a decade after the entire archive at St Mark's was nearly consigned to the hospital incinerator.

From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026

An affidavit in support of the arrest warrant, obtained by the San Diego Union-Tribune, said Settle’s incinerator operating permit expired in March 2024.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025

Gaba drew parallels with the memory holes in George Orwell’s “1984,” which are incinerator chutes that burn references to the past, allowing the government to rewrite history without leaving a trace of the deception.

From Salon • Feb. 4, 2025

A High Court review into plans to build an incinerator on part of Dorset's Unesco World Heritage site has been given permission to go ahead.

From BBC • Dec. 17, 2024

He couldn’t deny the relief he’d felt when she’d emerged from the incinerator shaft, disheveled and gasping, frightened but alive.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.