corpse

play

noun \ˈkȯrps\

Definition of corpse

1 archaic : a human or animal body whether living or dead
2a : a dead body especially of a human beingb : the remains of something discarded or defunct the corpses of rusting cars

See corpse defined for English-language learners

See corpse defined for kids

Examples of corpse in a Sentence

a battlefield strewn with corpses
the startling discovery of a corpse required a call to the police

Recent Examples of corpse from the Web

DiNardo is charged with 20 other crimes, including abuse of a corpse, conspiracy and robbery.

— talia richman, baltimoresun.com, "Loyola community mourns student slain in Pennsylvania," 19 July 2017
Malaysia refused, and soon afterward, local news media reported an attempt by unknown individuals to break into the morgue where the corpse was kept.

— joby warrick, Washington Post, "The message behind the murder: North Korea’s assassination sheds light on chemical weapons arsenal," 6 July 2017
Me, the boys, and a cold corpse The Necromancer is more traditionally pet-focused.

— steven strom, Ars Technica, "Diablo 3: Rise of the Necromancer review—roll them bones," 5 July 2017
In the days following the disaster, journalists and lawyers rushed to pick over the festival’s corpse, churning out stories and lawsuits that painted its organizers as either clueless or fraudulent.

— bryan burrough, The Hive, "Fyre Festival: Anatomy of a Millennial Marketing Fiasco Waiting to Happen," 4 July 2017
There was the compelling prosaicness of the corpse itself, the way an ordinary dead bird, on a spring morning, as lilacs swayed in the breeze, as other birds chirped, could become unexpectedly touching.

— christopher borrelli, chicagotribune.com, "Meet the woman behind 'Wonder Woman' comics," 30 June 2017
Doug Easton, an attorney hired by Kerrigan, said coroner's officials apparently weren't able to match the corpse's fingerprints through a law enforcement database and instead identified Kerrigan by using an old driver's license photo.

— CBS News, "Father buries wrong man after coroner's mistake," 24 June 2017
Dassey is serving a life sentence for first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse and sexual assault in connection with Halbach’s death in 2005.

— chris harris, PEOPLE.com, "Court Rules the Confession of Making a Murderer's Brendan Dassey Was Coerced — But Will He Go Free?," 23 June 2017
A body was found floating in a Central Park pond on Sunday—the third corpse found in the park this year, New York Police Department officials said.

— joseph de avila, WSJ, "Third Body Found in Central Park This Year," 11 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'corpse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of corpse

Middle English corps, from Anglo-French cors, corps, from Latin corpus

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First Known Use: 13th century

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CORPSE Defined for English Language Learners

corpse

play

noun

Definition of corpse for English Language Learners

: a dead body

CORPSE Defined for Kids

corpse

play

noun \ˈkȯrps\

Definition of corpse for Students

: a dead body

Word Root of corpse

The Latin word corpus, meaning “body,” and its form corporis give us the root corp or corpor. Words from the Latin corpus have something to do with the body. Corporal is an adjective describing something that has to do with a person's or animal's body. A corporal is a military officer who leads a body of soldiers. A corporation is a body, or group, of people who run a company. A corpse is a dead body.