ex·hume
ig-ˈzüm 
igz-ˈyüm,
iks-ˈ(h)yüm
exhumed; exhuming
1
: disinter
exhume a body
2
: to bring back from neglect or obscurity
exhumed a great deal of information from the archives
ex·hu·ma·tion
ˌeks(ˌ)(h)yüˈmāshən
ˌeg(ˌ)zü-,
ˌegz(ˌ)yü-
plural -s
: the act or process of exhuming, disinterring, or digging up
Examples of exhume in a Sentence
Verb
the remains of John Paul Jones were exhumed in Paris and transported with great ceremony to the U.S. Naval Academy
Recent Examples on the Web
Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
The eight-part series, led by Charlie Hunnam, tapped into the serial killer who killed at least two women and exhumed several bodies for his heinous purposes in the 1950s.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 28 May 2026
Lee joins a growing list of celebrities both dead and still living, including Judy Garland, Burt Reynolds, Albert Einstein, Michael Caine and David Hasselhoff, who have been exhumed and reanimated through the dark magic of LLMs.
—Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
In 2022, authorities exhumed McBride’s body for additional DNA testing, a step New Jersey State Police said was critical to isolating an unknown male DNA profile from earlier evidence.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exhume
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Verb
Her remains were exhumed in 2008 to obtain DNA information, which is what eventually led to her identification, according to Sammarco.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
The eight-part series, led by Charlie Hunnam, tapped into the serial killer who killed at least two women and exhumed several bodies for his heinous purposes in the 1950s.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 28 May 2026
Lee joins a growing list of celebrities both dead and still living, including Judy Garland, Burt Reynolds, Albert Einstein, Michael Caine and David Hasselhoff, who have been exhumed and reanimated through the dark magic of LLMs.
—Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
In 2022, authorities exhumed McBride’s body for additional DNA testing, a step New Jersey State Police said was critical to isolating an unknown male DNA profile from earlier evidence.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exhume
Cite this Entry
“Exhume.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exhume. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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Medical Definition
exhume
transitive verb
ex·hume
igz-ˈ(y)üm
iks-ˈ(h)yüm
iks-ˈ(h)yüm
exhumed; exhuming
: disinter
the body was exhumed for an autopsy
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