carcass

noun

car·​cass ˈkär-kəs 

1

: a dead body : corpse

especially : the dressed body of a meat animal

Butchers trimmed the meat from the carcass.

2

: the living, material, or physical body

It was nearly noon when he finally hauled his carcass out of bed.

3

: the decaying or worthless remains of a structure

the carcass of an abandoned automobile

4

: the underlying structure or frame of something (as of a piece of furniture)

Synonyms

• bones
• cadaver
• corpse
• corpus
• corse [archaic]
• relics
• remains
• stiff

Examples of carcass in a Sentence

the rusting carcass of an old truck

the carcass of a squirrel that had been run over

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2016, a sudden outbreak of anthrax in the Yamal Peninsula — linked to the thawed carcass of an infected reindeer — left dozens ill and killed a child. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025

The team also recovered animal bones with cut marks and stone tools used to butcher carcasses from the site. —Katie Hunt, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025

Wolves provide carcasses for scavengers like ravens, which, in turn, learn to follow wolf howls for food opportunities. —Jenny Lehmann, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025

The daring skunk drags chunks of the carcass one by one into the log for safekeeping, the video shows. —Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 9 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English carcays, from Anglo-French carcas, carkeis

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for carcass

• arcus

Kids Definition

carcass

noun

car·​cass ˈkär-kəs 

: a dead body

especially : the body of a meat animal prepared for market

Medical Definition

carcass

noun

car·​cass ˈkär-kəs 

: a dead body : corpse

especially : the dressed body of a meat animal