exhume

verb

ex·​hume ig-ˈzüm 

igz-ˈyüm,

iks-ˈ(h)yüm 

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

ˌeks-(h)yü-ˈmā-shən 

ˌeg-zü-

ˌegz-yü- 

noun

exhumer

ig-ˈzü-mər 

igz-ˈyü-

iks-ˈ(h)yü-

noun

Synonyms

• unearth

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 on the Web

The health ministry official told CNN that some of the remains appeared to have been exhumed after burial. —Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025

As recently as 20 years ago, in southern Romania, a man believed to be a vampire was exhumed, and his corpse ritually mutilated. —Robert Eggers, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025

Tales that rely on cheap tricks can be fun, but the ones that exhume their horrors from within powerful ideas endure. —Big Think, 14 Oct. 2025

AaronP / Bauer-Griffin / Getty Images That was until 2018, when the DPAA exhumed the rest of the bodies from the USS California from Punchbowl, all unidentified, for further analysis, the group said. —Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 6 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for exhume

• assume
• backroom
• ballroom
• barroom
• bathroom
• bedroom
• boardroom
• bridegroom
• classroom
• cloakroom
• consume
• costume

Kids Definition

exhume

verb

ex·​hume igz-ˈ(y)üm 

iks-ˈ(h)yüm

exhumed; exhuming

: to remove from a place of burial

exhumation

ˌeks-(h)yü-ˈmā-shən 

ˌegz-(y)ü-

noun

Medical Definition

exhume

transitive verb

ex·​hume igz-ˈ(y)üm  iks-ˈ(h)yüm 

exhumed; exhuming

: disinter

the body was exhumed for an autopsy

exhumation

ˌeks-(h)yü-ˈmā-shən  ˌegz-(y)ü- 

noun