carcass

noun

car·​cass ˈkär-kəs How to pronounce carcass (audio)
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)

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Alarmed animal lovers are demanding answers as dead birds repeatedly plummet from the sky, with the carcasses falling on a quiet residential street. Chloe Mayer, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025 Grizzly 1058 had likely been dead for three to seven days, based on the fact that roughly 20 percent of the carcass had been scavenged, per the Jackson Hole News & Guide. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 May 2025 State of play: Three of the carcasses were reported in a single week in April, an unusual occurrence that hadn't happened in years. Nadia Lopez, Axios, 1 May 2025 The hospital’s staff had braced for an onslaught of wounded after learning of the disaster, an army of ambulances having descended on the farm to the southwest of the city center where the plane’s carcass lay burning. Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for carcass

Word History

Etymology

Middle English carcays, from Anglo-French carcas, carkeis

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of carcass was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Carcass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carcass. Accessed 25 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

carcass

noun
car·​cass ˈkär-kəs How to pronounce carcass (audio)
: a dead body
especially : the body of a meat animal prepared for market

Medical Definition

carcass

noun
car·​cass ˈkär-kəs How to pronounce carcass (audio)
: a dead body : corpse
especially : the dressed body of a meat animal

More from Merriam-Webster on carcass

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