morgue

noun

1
: a place where the bodies of dead persons are kept temporarily pending identification or release for burial or autopsy
2
: a collection of reference works and files of reference material in a newspaper or news periodical office

Examples of morgue in a Sentence

old news stories found in a newspaper morgue
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The hospital’s morgue was overflowing, as was a refrigerated mortuary truck. Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025 What's next: There is currently no timeline for potential collaborations between Polk County and the state's medical examiner offices, including a possible morgue merger, but McCoy said further discussions are likely in the coming months. Jason Clayworth, Axios, 29 Jan. 2025 Mazen al-Hamada’s relatives learned of his death in a more prosaic way: photographs from the military morgue circulated on social media. Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025 Daniel Ridge worked as a morgue attendant for a hospital in Oakland until he was dismissed when returning from a leave period. Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for morgue

Word History

Etymology

French

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of morgue was in 1795

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Morgue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morgue. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

morgue

noun
1
: a place where the bodies of the dead are kept temporarily until they are identified or released for burial
2
: a department of a newspaper where reference material is filed

Medical Definition

morgue

noun
: a place where the bodies of dead persons are kept temporarily pending identification or release for burial or autopsy

Legal Definition

morgue

noun
: a place where the bodies of persons found dead are kept until identified and claimed by relatives or released for burial or autopsy

More from Merriam-Webster on morgue

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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