exhume

play

verb ex·hume \ ig-ˈzüm , igz-ˈyüm , iks-ˈ(h)yüm \

Definition of exhume

exhumed; exhuming

transitive verb

1 :disinter

exhume a body

2 :to bring back from neglect or obscurity

exhumed a great deal of information from the archives

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exhumation

play \ˌeks-(h)yü-ˈmā-shən, ˌeg-zü-, ˌegz-yü-\ noun

—

exhumer

play \ig-ˈzü-mər, igz-ˈyü-, iks-ˈ(h)yü-\ noun

See exhume defined for English-language learners

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Examples of exhume in a Sentence

the remains of John Paul Jones were exhumed in Paris and transported with great ceremony to the U.S. Naval Academy

Recent Examples of exhume from the Web

Knowingly or not, Sanders had just exhumed the corpse of Congress’s 1993 law preventing gays from serving openly in the military.

— chiara marinai, The Hive, "“Betrayal”: Transgender Troops React to Trump’s Ban," 2 Aug. 2017
The bodies of more than two dozen young men were discovered in Gacy's Chicago-area basement in 1978, and Cook County sheriff Tom Dart ordered eight unidentified bodies to be exhumed in 2011, according to the Tribune.

— kate shepherd, Chicago Reader, "News / Did You Read __________? A teenager who disappeared in the 1970s identified as a victim of John Wayne Gacy, and other Chicago news," 20 July 2017
By exhuming the nationalist thinkers of an earlier age, Bannon was trying to build an intellectual basis for Trumpism, or what might more accurately be described as an American nationalist-Traditionalism.

— joshua green, The Hive, "Inside the Secret, Strange Origins of Steve Bannon’s Nationalist Fantasia," 17 July 2017
The big reveal: exhuming Holmes body from a cemetery right outside of Philadelphia.

— tommy rowan, Philly.com, "Did serial killer H.H. Holmes escape his Philly execution, and was he also Jack the Ripper?," 11 July 2017
Read More: Questions swirl around death of Florida native As part of the ongoing investigation, Valerie was exhumed from the Galapagos cemetery in 2015 and her skull was sent to the nation’s criminal investigation lab in Quito.

— jim wyss, miamiherald, "Three years on, death in the Galapagos remains a mystery," 9 July 2017
As part of Sammarco’s investigation, Gabriel’s body was exhumed last month so that investigators could retrieve his tablet computer, which his mother had buried with him.

— anne saker, Cincinnati.com, "Coroner: No change to finding that 8-year-old Gabriel Taye died a suicide," 6 July 2017
William Turner, the historian at the Christian County Historical Society, said much could be learned if Pate's body could be exhumed, including details about clothing, boots, buttons and belt buckles.

— james bruggers, The Courier-Journal, "Scientist asks Gov. Bevin for help to exhume Confederate soldier in Hopkinsville casket," 6 July 2017
The City Council earlier this year decided not to allow any more bodies to be exhumed out of respect for the dead, Pagan said.

— james bruggers, The Courier-Journal, "Scientist asks Gov. Bevin for help to exhume Confederate soldier in Hopkinsville casket," 6 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of exhume

Middle English, from Medieval Latin exhumare, from Latin ex out of + humus earth — more at ex-, humble

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First Known Use: 15th century

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exhume Synonyms

Synonyms

disinter, unearth

Antonyms

bury, entomb, inhume, inter, tomb

EXHUME Defined for English Language Learners

exhume

play

verb

Definition of exhume for English Language Learners

: to remove (a body) from the place where it is buried

Medical Dictionary

exhume

play

transitive verb ex·hume \ igz-ˈ(y)üm , iks-ˈ(h)yüm \

medical Definition of exhume

exhumed; exhuming

:disinter

the body was exhumed for an autopsy

—

exhumation

play \ˌeks-(h)yü-ˈmā-shən, ˌegz-(y)ü-\ noun

Learn More about exhume

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for exhume Spanish Central: Translation of exhume Nglish: Translation of exhume for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of exhume for Arabic speakers

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EXHUME Defined for English Language Learners

exhume

Definition of exhume for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

exhume

medical Definition of exhume

exhumation

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