carcass

noun

car·​cass ˈkär-kəs 

1

: a dead body : corpse

especially : the dressed body of a meat animal

Butchers trimmed the meat from the carcass.

2

: the living, material, or physical body

It was nearly noon when he finally hauled his carcass out of bed.

3

: the decaying or worthless remains of a structure

the carcass of an abandoned automobile

4

: the underlying structure or frame of something (as of a piece of furniture)

Synonyms of carcass

• corpse

Examples of carcass in a Sentence

the rusting carcass of an old truck

the carcass of a squirrel that had been run over

Recent Examples on the Web

Cotter was given village board approval this week to continue outsourcing the work and to collect carcasses from private property. — Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

The hook in one panel evokes Chaïm Soutine, who painted slaughterhouses while keeping kosher, fascinated and horrified by the carnival of carcasses that to others had been normalized. — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, collecting parts from a sea lion carcass is strictly prohibited and punishable by up to one year in jail and up to $36,000 in criminal fines. — ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

Staff euthanized the bear in the Delta Lake area and removed its carcass from the backcountry the following morning. — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English carcays, from Anglo-French carcas, carkeis

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for carcass

• arcus

Kids Definition

carcass

noun

car·​cass ˈkär-kəs 

: a dead body

especially : the body of a meat animal prepared for market

Medical Definition

carcass

noun

car·​cass ˈkär-kəs 

: a dead body : corpse

especially : the dressed body of a meat animal