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

In another case, in 2015, Daniel Ridge, a morgue employee at Alameda Health System, was working seven days a week while the hospital sought to fill a vacant attendant role. —Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025

In The Autopsy of Albert Kemper, Shipp plays Riley Shaw, a morgue assistant who faces a terrifying night when the body of a notorious serial killer begins to show signs of something beyond death. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 24 Nov. 2025

In Dar es Salaam, a video geolocated by CNN at the morgue of Mwananyamala Hospital shows dozens of bodies covering the floor, piled up on top of each other. —Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN Money, 21 Nov. 2025

Trapped in the morgue, she is confronted by her demons – or invisible supernatural forces which home in the morgue during the storm, that is one of the questions the movie poses – in a film which looks set to deliver an intense, unflagging shock fest. —John Hopewell, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025

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