incinerate

verb
in·​cin·​er·​ate | \ in-ˈsi-nə-ˌrāt How to pronounce incinerate (audio) \
incinerated; incinerating

Definition of incinerate

transitive verb

: to cause to burn to ashes

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Other Words from incinerate

incineration \ in-​ˌsi-​nə-​ˈrā-​shən How to pronounce incineration (audio) \ noun

Examples of incinerate in a Sentence

The waste is incinerated in a large furnace.

Recent Examples on the Web

Almost everything else gets incinerated or dumped into the ground or the sea. Rowan Jacobsen, Outside Online, "An Ocean Plastics Field Trip for Corporate Executives," 8 Aug. 2019 Rather than incinerate the birds or contribute to the city’s landfill, the birds will make good meals for needy Denverites. Krista Kafer, The Denver Post, "Kafer: Some geese have got to go — culling is the logical and humane response," 4 July 2019 The fire incinerated the entire roof, as well as its latticed wooden interior and the spire. Vivienne Walt / Paris, Time, "Inside the Fight Over How Notre Dame Should Rise From the Ashes," 25 July 2019 The blast incinerated most of downtown Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. Ian Austen, New York Times, "A Runaway Train Explosion Killed 47, but Deadly Cargo Still Rides the Rails," 16 July 2019 The Brexit vote has incinerated his ability to woo metropolitan liberals. Boris Johnson, The Economist, "Boris Johnson, illusionist," 4 July 2019 The worldwide market for trash-incinerating power plants that reduce pollution will be worth $80 billion by 2022, according to some financial analysts’ estimates. Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "Japan wants to become Southeast Asia’s trash manager," 23 June 2019 The gas can be incinerated in special kilns, breaking the molecules into a benign mixture. National Geographic, "One overlooked way to fight climate change? Dispose of old CFCs.," 29 Apr. 2019 Brushfires set by farmers often incinerate what the cattle miss. Alex Fox, Science | AAAS, "World’s supply of frankincense could go up in smoke," 1 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'incinerate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of incinerate

1555, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for incinerate

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

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More Definitions for incinerate

incinerate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of incinerate

: to burn (something) completely

incinerate

verb
in·​cin·​er·​ate | \ in-ˈsi-nə-ˌrāt How to pronounce incinerate (audio) \
incinerated; incinerating

Kids Definition of incinerate

: to burn to ashes

incinerate

transitive verb
in·​cin·​er·​ate | \ in-ˈsin-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce incinerate (audio) \
incinerated; incinerating

Medical Definition of incinerate

: to cause to burn to ashes

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