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 Abbas said at least 100 bodies were decomposing in the hospital complex -- with about 50 inside the hospital and dozens more in morgues that have run out of power. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 14 Nov. 2023 The following day, his body lay in the morgue of Jenin’s hospital, a green Hamas headband now covering a head wound. Susannah George, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023 On Monday, more than 100 bodies were decomposing in the hospital’s front yard, another 50 were inside and about 60 others were in the morgue, said a spokesman for the Gazan Health Ministry, ​​Medhat Abbas. Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023 His body remained in a morgue for months before being discharged and buried in a potter's field. Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 30 Oct. 2023 The nightmare of ending up as an anonymous body piled up in a morgue or chucked into the dirt has increasingly haunted Palestinians in Gaza. TIME, 28 Oct. 2023 Palestinians mourn relatives Tuesday at a morgue in Deir al Balah, Gaza. Dan De Luce, NBC News, 2 Nov. 2023 Some of their bodies are almost certainly at the Abu Kabir morgue, or at one of the two other morgues just outside Tel Aviv run by the military and police. Kevin Sieff, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2023 The buildings featured are wedged between civilian infrastructure, including an MRI compound, a morgue and pathology center, and a chest and dialysis department. Dov Lieber, WSJ, 28 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'morgue.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near morgue

Cite this Entry

“Morgue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morgue. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

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

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