body bag
noun
: a large zippered bag (as of rubber or vinyl) in which a human corpse is placed especially for transportation
Examples of body bag in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
All but two of a dozen body bags lay on the floor at the rear entrance one recent morning because there weren’t enough gurneys.
—
James Marson, WSJ, 7 Nov. 2023
With that death toll heavy on their minds Saturday morning, Mahmoud Ashi and a group of friends boarded a bus in New Jersey carrying 75 small handmade body bags.
—Laura Meckler, Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2023
The mortician told Brock that Moran’s wallet — including his driver’s license with his mother’s address, Social Security card and a photo of his daughter — was inside the body bag.
—Jon Schuppe, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2024
The latter image is stunning, and there is an argument to be made that the body bags are enough to convey the horror and to fully portray the destruction of these mass shootings.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2023
The body bags were labeled with numbers, not names.
—Louisa Loveluck, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023
More than 20 characters have left Grey’s since its premiere, either in a body bag or on their own two feet.
—TIME, 14 Mar. 2024
The disproportionate number of ethnic-minority young men returning home from the Ukraine front in body bags today only serves to underscore Putin’s bid to maintain his grip on a crumbling empire.
—Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024
Investigators learned security officers are not allowed to open body bags, but are responsible for moving the bodies and placing them on freezer shelves.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 1 Dec. 2023
James Marson, WSJ, 7 Nov. 2023
With that death toll heavy on their minds Saturday morning, Mahmoud Ashi and a group of friends boarded a bus in New Jersey carrying 75 small handmade body bags.
—Laura Meckler, Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2023
The mortician told Brock that Moran’s wallet — including his driver’s license with his mother’s address, Social Security card and a photo of his daughter — was inside the body bag.
—Jon Schuppe, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2024
The latter image is stunning, and there is an argument to be made that the body bags are enough to convey the horror and to fully portray the destruction of these mass shootings.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2023
The body bags were labeled with numbers, not names.
—Louisa Loveluck, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023
More than 20 characters have left Grey’s since its premiere, either in a body bag or on their own two feet.
—TIME, 14 Mar. 2024
The disproportionate number of ethnic-minority young men returning home from the Ukraine front in body bags today only serves to underscore Putin’s bid to maintain his grip on a crumbling empire.
—Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024
Investigators learned security officers are not allowed to open body bags, but are responsible for moving the bodies and placing them on freezer shelves.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 1 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'body bag.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1947, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near body bag
Cite this Entry
“Body bag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/body%20bag. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Medical Definition
body bag
noun
: a large zippered bag (as of rubber or vinyl) in which a human corpse is placed especially for transportation
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