cremate

verb

cre·​mate ˈkrē-ˌmāt  kri-ˈmāt 

cremated; cremating

transitive verb

: to subject to cremation

especially : to reduce (a dead body) to mostly tiny bits of bones resembling ash through exposure to flame and intense heat followed by pulverization of bone fragments

cremate a dead body

Examples of cremate in a Sentence

He wants to be cremated when he dies.

Recent Examples on the Web

He will be cremated, with his ashes buried next to his parents in Joliet, Osborne said. —Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 10 Jan. 2026

According to the death certificates obtained by Fox News Digital from the Los Angeles County Public Health Department, the couple were cremated at Mount Sinai Mortuary. —Tracy Wright , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026

By analyzing the bones and pyre sediments, researchers believe that hunter-gatherers cremated the body of a woman about 9,500 years ago, according to their study published Thursday in the journal Science Advances. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026

Crump will be cremated and her ashes interred between her parents in Prospect Hill Cemetery in Front Royal, Virginia. —CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin crematus, past participle of cremare to burn up, cremate

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

cremate

verb

cre·​mate ˈkrē-ˌmāt  kri-ˈmāt 

cremated; cremating

: to burn (as a dead body) to ashes

cremation

kri-ˈmā-shən 

noun

Medical Definition

cremate

transitive verb

cre·​mate ˈkrē-ˌmāt  kri-ˈ 

cremated; cremating

: to subject to cremation

especially : to reduce (a dead body) to mostly tiny bits of bones resembling ash through exposure to flame and intense heat followed by pulverization of bone fragments