incinerate
gb/ɪnsˈɪnɚˌeɪt/ us/ɪnsˈɪnɚˌeɪt/
C1
English
eléget, szénné éget
VERB
C1
FORMAL
1
eléget
B1
Usage pattern:
incinerate [something]
The hospital incinerates medical waste to prevent the spread of infection.
A kórház elégeti az orvosi hulladékot, hogy megakadályozza a fertőzések terjedését.
Old confidential records were incinerated after being scanned.
A régi bizalmas iratokat beszkennelés után elégették.
Some cities incinerate garbage to reduce the amount sent to landfills.
Learner examples
They incinerated the waste in a special furnace.
A hulladékot egy speciális kemencében égették el.
The papers were incinerated.
A papírokat elégették.
Common mistake:
Do not use incinerate for ordinary cooking or small fires; burn is the more general word.
Meaning
burn completely to ash
Collocations
incinerate waste
|incinerate garbage
|incinerate trash
|incinerate medical waste
|incinerate hazardous waste
|incinerate documents
|incinerate the remains
|incinerated in a furnace
|an incinerated body
|completely incinerated
Synonyms
burn (more general and common; does not necessarily mean completely to ash)
|
cremate (specifically to burn a dead body as a funeral practice)
|
destroy by fire (clearer but less compact; emphasizes destruction rather than the process)
Antonyms
preserve (to keep something from being damaged or destroyed)
|
extinguish (to put out a fire rather than use fire to destroy something)
Themes
fire
|waste_management
|environment
|public_services
Definition
to burn something until only ash is left
To burn something completely, especially waste or other unwanted material, until it is reduced to ash.
VERB
C1
FORMAL
2
szénné éget
B2
Usage pattern:
[fire/explosion/weapon] incinerates [something/someone]; [something/someone] is incinerated
The car was incinerated in the explosion.
Az autó a robbanásban szénné égett.
A wall of flame swept through the warehouse and incinerated everything inside.
Egy lángfal söpört végig a raktáron, és mindent szénné égetett odabent.
Investigators found that the intense heat had incinerated most of the evidence.
Learner examples
The truck was incinerated in the fire.
A teherautó szénné égett a tűzben.
The explosion incinerated the small building.
A robbanás szénné égette a kis épületet.
Common mistake:
Incinerate is stronger than burn; it suggests complete destruction by very high heat.
Meaning
destroy by intense fire
Collocations
incinerated in the blast
|incinerated by the explosion
|incinerated by fire
|incinerated instantly
|incinerated the vehicle
|incinerated the building
|nearly incinerated
|burned and incinerated
Synonyms
consume (used of fire destroying something, often literary or formal)
|
char (means to blacken or partly burn, not necessarily destroy completely)
|
vaporize (suggests disappearance from extreme heat or force, not specifically burning to ash)
Antonyms
survive (to remain alive or intact instead of being destroyed)
|
spare (to leave something unharmed rather than destroy it)
Themes
fire
|disasters
|warfare
|accidents
Definition
to destroy something completely by very strong fire or heat
To destroy or kill something or someone completely with intense fire, heat, or an explosion.
Grammar
Dictionary form
incinerate
IPA
GB/ɪnsˈɪnɚˌeɪt/
US/ɪnsˈɪnɚˌeɪt/
Syllables & stress
in - cin - er - ate (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (cin)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: incinerate
- 3rd Person Singular: incinerates
- Present Participle: incinerating
- Past: incinerated
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.