Meaning & use
cremators
Last updated
“cremators” is a form of “cremator”.
Meaning
nouncountabletechnical
Machines or furnaces designed to burn dead bodies at very high temperatures until only ash remains.
Grammar: Countable noun; the singular is 'cremator'. Use 'a cremator' for one machine and 'cremators' for more than one.
Patterns
- a cremator
- the cremators
The funeral home installed two new cremators to handle the increasing number of services.
Modern cremators are built with filters that reduce emissions.
The old cremators were replaced because they no longer met environmental standards.
Word forms
| singular | cremator |
|---|
Common combinations
- a cremator operator
- A cremator operator must follow strict safety procedures.
- install cremators
- The company installed new cremators last year.
- cremator emissions
- New rules aim to reduce cremator emissions.
- maintain cremators
- Technicians maintain the cremators regularly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- crematory
- In American English this usually means the building where cremation takes place, not the machine itself.
- incinerator
- This burns waste or garbage, not human bodies, so it is not a true synonym.
Word family
- cremate verb
- To burn a dead body as part of a funeral.
- cremation noun
- The act or process of burning a dead body.
- crematorium noun
- A building with a cremator where funerals and cremations take place.
- crematory noun
- American word for a crematorium, or sometimes for the furnace itself.
Commonly confused: cremators or crematorium? cremators or incinerator?
cremators vs crematorium
A crematorium is the building; a cremator is the machine inside it.
cremators vs incinerator
An incinerator burns trash or industrial waste, while a cremator is specifically for human remains.
Practice
The funeral home bought two new _____ to keep up with demand.
Choose one answer.
The sentence needs the plural of 'cremator' because it refers to the machines themselves. 'Crematoriums' and 'crematories' are buildings, and 'cremations' are the ceremonies or processes, not the equipment.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cremators”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.