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

Today, the mountaintop hotel overlooking Eureka Springs offers ghost tours through its Victorian halls and former morgue, and the price of a room ranges from about $150 to $600. —Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025

Death was rarely mentioned in the morgue. —Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025

In that same year’s winter surge (the deadliest wave yet), hospitals in California, Arizona and Oregon also converted trucks into temporary morgues. —Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025

Lionsgate released a clip of the morgue scene where Maya encounters her deceased fiancé (Froy Gutierrez’s Ryan). —Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 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