as in dissection
examination of a dead body especially to find out the cause of death
the autopsy revealed an advanced stage of cancer
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Recent Examples of autopsy
Following the medical examiner’s determination that Terril Johnson’s cause of death was severe scalding burns, the family had a private pathologist perform an autopsy, the complaint says.
—
Julia Marnin, Sacbee.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Trosch also ruled the medical examiner who conducted the autopsy could testify about the findings, but would not be allowed to speculate on if Scott Brooks was in a crouching position when he was shot.
—Charlotte Observer, 27 Oct. 2025
Medical examiners would also conduct a chemical analysis during an autopsy to test for poisons and medical conditions.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
The autopsies shed no further light.
—Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autopsy
Julia Marnin, Sacbee.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Trosch also ruled the medical examiner who conducted the autopsy could testify about the findings, but would not be allowed to speculate on if Scott Brooks was in a crouching position when he was shot.
—Charlotte Observer, 27 Oct. 2025
Medical examiners would also conduct a chemical analysis during an autopsy to test for poisons and medical conditions.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
The autopsies shed no further light.
—Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autopsy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autopsy
Noun
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John died in 2003 at the age of 54 from an aortic dissection that was originally misdiagnosed as a heart attack.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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There's also a few references that Kang and Kodos are simply hired actors in Treehouse of Horror, normalizing their position in the show and adding light and humor to the aliens, despite their penchant for world domination and evading dissection.—
Grace Dean,
Space.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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If the body is found within a certain period of time, postmortem investigators can determine a time of death based on how old the eggs or larvae are.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
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Maybe 1,000 listeners tuned in for the fall Sunday postmortems.—
Dana O'Neil,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The algae blooms even affected whales, with at least two found dead on beaches in Southern California, necropsies confirming high levels of toxins.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
29 Oct. 2025
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Zoo officials said a necropsy was to be completed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine.—
Hannah Kirby,
jsonline.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Autopsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autopsy. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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