morgue

noun

ˈmȯrg 

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

At least 33 bodies — including children and dismembered remains stuffed in sacks — were unearthed from a mass grave in western Kenya on Thursday, raising questions about whether the corpses were secretly moved from a hospital morgue. —Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 29 Mar. 2026

The scale of the violence overwhelmed hospitals both in Sweida and neighboring Daraa province, as hundreds of bodies were brought in during the spiraling violence, with no room in the morgue. —ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026

Young unarmed protesters shot with military weapons at close range, hospitals floors covered in blood, patients shot in their beds, morgues overflowing. —Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2026

Refrigerator trucks became makeshift morgues as the dead piled up. —David Blumenthal, STAT, 24 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for morgue

• bourg
• faubourg

Kids Definition

morgue

noun

ˈmȯ(ə)rg 

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

ˈmȯ(ə)rg 

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

Legal Definition

morgue

noun

ˈmȯrg 

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