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
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
But these stinky carcasses send a massive pulse of food to scavengers in the soil.
—
Celia Ford, WIRED, 28 Mar. 2024
As these stinking carcasses start to decay, those nutrients go into the soil around trees, creating a nutrient cache for the tree and the cicadas.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024
While most birds have only weak senses of smell and find their food by sight, our common vulture can detect entirely invisible carcasses while flying by hundreds of feet in the air.
—Jack Gedney, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024
The day after scientists witnessed the rare attack, a second white shark carcass washed ashore at Mossel Bay, according to the study.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
The carcass of a critically endangered whale species was towed to shore on Thursday after it was found floating approximately 20 miles off the coast of Georgia, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
—Elizabeth Pritchett, Fox News, 16 Feb. 2024
The Arizona Game and Fish Department said Friday the carcass of the adult ram was found not far from a farm field near Gila Bend, about 70 miles southwest of Phoenix.
—CBS News, 12 Feb. 2024
The carcass of a gray whale was found in the Bolsa Chica tidal inlet on Thursday, Feb. 8, with authorities on site to investigate the death of the marine mammal.
—Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 8 Feb. 2024
According to Wheeler, the plan calls for the owl carcasses to be removed from the area where they’re shot.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Celia Ford, WIRED, 28 Mar. 2024
As these stinking carcasses start to decay, those nutrients go into the soil around trees, creating a nutrient cache for the tree and the cicadas.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024
While most birds have only weak senses of smell and find their food by sight, our common vulture can detect entirely invisible carcasses while flying by hundreds of feet in the air.
—Jack Gedney, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024
The day after scientists witnessed the rare attack, a second white shark carcass washed ashore at Mossel Bay, according to the study.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
The carcass of a critically endangered whale species was towed to shore on Thursday after it was found floating approximately 20 miles off the coast of Georgia, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
—Elizabeth Pritchett, Fox News, 16 Feb. 2024
The Arizona Game and Fish Department said Friday the carcass of the adult ram was found not far from a farm field near Gila Bend, about 70 miles southwest of Phoenix.
—CBS News, 12 Feb. 2024
The carcass of a gray whale was found in the Bolsa Chica tidal inlet on Thursday, Feb. 8, with authorities on site to investigate the death of the marine mammal.
—Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 8 Feb. 2024
According to Wheeler, the plan calls for the owl carcasses to be removed from the area where they’re shot.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carcass.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near carcass
Cite this Entry
“Carcass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carcass. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
carcass
noun
car·cass
ˈkär-kəs 
: a dead body
especially
: the body of a meat animal prepared for market
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