exhume

verb

ex·​hume ig-ˈzüm 

igz-ˈyüm, 

iks-ˈ(h)yüm 

exhumed; exhuming

transitive verb

1

: disinter

exhume a body

2

: to bring back from neglect or obscurity

exhumed a great deal of information from the archives

exhumation

ˌeks-(h)yü-ˈmā-shən 

ˌeg-zü-, 

ˌegz-yü- 

noun

exhumer

ig-ˈzü-mər 

igz-ˈyü-, 

iks-ˈ(h)yü-

noun

Synonyms of exhume

• unearth

Examples of exhume in a Sentence

the remains of John Paul Jones were exhumed in Paris and transported with great ceremony to the U.S. Naval Academy

Recent Examples on the Web

Space Afrika bring in slow-moving and often gorgeous layers of double bass, violin, harp, saxophone, and piano to exhume the revelry, grief, and chaos of their inner worlds. — Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026

The testing identified the hairs as belonging to Jefferson and provided what’s likely to be the best confirmation possible of his paternity, short of exhuming the former president’s remains. — Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2026

Back in present day, John has managed to exhume Hal’s body and retrieve the decommissioned power ring, awakening the Halogram to get his help opening the lockbox in the storage unit. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 27 Sep. 2026

Last year, Works petitioned a county court in Tennessee to exhume the body of Randolph’s son from a Nashville cemetery, with the goal of extracting DNA that Works believes might clear Thomas Jefferson’s name. — Andrew Lawler, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Medieval Latin exhumare, from Latin ex out of + humus earth — more at ex-, humble

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for exhume

• assume
• backroom
• ballroom
• barroom
• bathroom
• bedroom
• boardroom
• bridegroom
• classroom
• cloakroom
• consume
• costume

Kids Definition

exhume

verb

ex·​hume igz-ˈ(y)üm 

iks-ˈ(h)yüm

exhumed; exhuming

: to remove from a place of burial

exhumation

ˌeks-(h)yü-ˈmā-shən 

ˌegz-(y)ü-

noun

Medical Definition

exhume

transitive verb

ex·​hume igz-ˈ(y)üm  iks-ˈ(h)yüm 

exhumed; exhuming

: disinter

the body was exhumed for an autopsy

exhumation

ˌeks-(h)yü-ˈmā-shən  ˌegz-(y)ü- 

noun