morgue

noun

ˈmȯrg 

1

: a place where the bodies of dead persons are kept temporarily pending identification or release for burial or autopsy

2

: a collection of reference works and files of reference material in a newspaper or news periodical office

Examples of morgue in a Sentence

old news stories found in a newspaper morgue

Recent Examples on the Web

Shifa Hospital, the territory's largest, said 29 bodies were brought to its morgue, including 10 people killed while seeking aid. —Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2025

The goal of the vaccine is to keep people out of the hospital, keep them out of the intensive-care unit, keep them out of the morgue. —Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2025

Shifa Hospital — the territory’s largest — said 29 bodies had been brought to its morgue, including 10 people killed while seeking aid and others struck across the city. —Wafaa Shurafa, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025

Few Idaho counties have a county morgue with coolers and storage for bodies awaiting autopsy, testing or further examination. —Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 26 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for morgue

• bourg
• faubourg

Kids Definition

morgue

noun

ˈmȯ(ə)rg 

1

: a place where the bodies of the dead are kept temporarily until they are identified or released for burial

2

: a department of a newspaper where reference material is filed

Medical Definition

morgue

noun

ˈmȯ(ə)rg 

: a place where the bodies of dead persons are kept temporarily pending identification or release for burial or autopsy

Legal Definition

morgue

noun

ˈmȯrg 

: a place where the bodies of persons found dead are kept until identified and claimed by relatives or released for burial or autopsy