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 Food and Drug Administration recommends disposing of drugs by dropping them off at a take-back location or by mailing them using a prepaid envelope that is delivered to a facility where the drugs are incinerated. — Sunny Linnebur, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026

And this particular person, his name is Tom Swift, just happened to be in an elevator, wrong place, wrong time when the plane hit and the jet fuel from the plane went right down the elevator shaft and incinerated it. — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026

Every single glove must be manufactured, transported, and disposed (either landfilled or incinerated). — Cassandra Thiel, STAT, 8 Sep. 2026

That’s because watching a launch on TV does not prepare you for the light-then-sound spectacle of a giant rocket igniting, incinerating gravity’s pull, and throwing a payload or people into space. — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 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