incinerate

verb

in·​cin·​er·​ate in-ˈsi-nə-ˌrāt 

incinerated; incinerating

transitive verb

: to cause to burn to ashes

incineration

in-ˌsi-nə-ˈrā-shən 

noun

Examples of incinerate in a Sentence

The waste is incinerated in a large furnace.

Recent Examples on the Web

The white phosphorus then ignites and burns intensely, destroying the agents by incinerating them – a method meant to reduce the risk of spreading the materials and to limit potential harm to civilians and the surrounding environment. —Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 8 Mar. 2026

Ninety-four percent of Rhode Island's sludge is incinerated, with the material going to either Woonsocket or a smaller facility in Cranston. —Alex Kuffner, The Providence Journal, 3 Mar. 2026

Some can be incinerated, but that releases chemicals and smoke into the atmosphere. —Devika Rao, TheWeek, 3 Mar. 2026

According to the intelligence memorandum, the central headquarters at Fuerte Tiuna was destroyed in precision bombing, incinerating hardware and killing dozens of Cuban technical personnel. —Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin incineratus, past participle of incinerare, from Latin in- + ciner-, cinis ashes; akin to Greek konis dust, ashes

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for incinerate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

incinerate

verb

in·​cin·​er·​ate in-ˈsin-ə-ˌrāt 

incinerated; incinerating

: to burn to ashes

incineration

-ˌsin-ə-ˈrā-shən 

noun

Medical Definition

incinerate

transitive verb

in·​cin·​er·​ate in-ˈsin-ə-ˌrāt 

incinerated; incinerating

: to cause to burn to ashes