exhume

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

|Updated on: 19 Aug 2018

Examples: exhume in a Sentence

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

—

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

See exhume defined for kids

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

Assad Chaftari, once head of intelligence for a Christian militia, sees the benefit of exhuming the bodies.

— The Economist, "NGOs in Lebanon want to dig up mass graves from the civil war," 5 July 2018
Authorities are considering exhuming the bodies to determine the presence of metal, according to DW.

— travis fedschun, Fox News, "German man suspected of murdering 21 coworkers by poisoning their food," 28 June 2018
In Puri’s quest to exhume her grandfather from the Valley of the Fallen, Ranz saw an opportunity to confront one of the final taboos of Franco’s legacy.

— matías costa, Smithsonian, "The Battle Over the Memory of the Spanish Civil War," 28 June 2018
Photos of Noreen Rudd’s exhumed body in her wedding dress will be part of the prosecution’s evidence.

— george houde, chicagotribune.com, "Wife's death in '73 was first thought to have resulted from car crash; now husband going on trial, accused of killing her," 22 June 2018
State District Judge John Hawkins gave the school district permission to exhume the remains during a hearing this month.

— brooke a. lewis, Houston Chronicle, "Fort Bend ISD approves contract to exhume century-old remains at construction site," 19 June 2018
After exhuming the body, Dr. Anderson — himself a former state medical examiner — discovered that Ms. O’Connell had a cracked jaw, a fact that had not been noted by the first two medical examiners.

— walt bogdanich, New York Times, "Suit Against Agent Who Reinvestigated a Florida Mother’s Death Is Dismissed," 2 Apr. 2018
Beginning in 2004, researchers found and exhumed several bodies from the more than 800 buried in mass graves near a churchyard cemetery at an archaeological site called Teposcolula-Yucundaa.

— kate sheridan, Newsweek, "Ancient Mexican Civilization Nearly Wiped Out by Something Stuck in Their Teeth, New DNA Evidence Reveals," 15 Jan. 2018
After Johnson’s first burial, his family hired attorneys and a private pathologist to exhume the body.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "Family Of Kendrick Johnson, Teen Who Was Found Dead In Gym Mat, Plan To Exhume His Body A Second Time," 22 June 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

exhume Synonyms

Synonyms

disinter, unearth;

Antonyms

bury, entomb, inhume, inter, tomb;

EXHUME Defined for English Language Learners

exhume

verb

Definition of exhume for English Language Learners

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

Medical Dictionary

exhume

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

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up exhume? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

exhume

Definition of exhume

exhumation

exhumer

Examples of exhume in a Sentence

Recent Examples of exhume from the Web

Origin and Etymology of exhume

exhume Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

EXHUME Defined for English Language Learners

exhume

Definition of exhume for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

exhume

medical Definition of exhume

exhumation

Learn More about exhume

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Trending: Manafort Guilty on 8 Charges, 'Mistrial' on Others

Putting 'Myself' Where 'Me' or 'I' Usually Goes

10 Words for the Elitists in Your Life

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

Ghost Word