carrion

as in carcass
the flesh of dead animals Vultures live chiefly on carrion.

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of carrion Without them, rotting carrion — and the potentially harmful bacteria contained within — can proliferate and then spread disease if humans come into close contact or by contaminating water. Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 11 July 2025 And the decline is disproportionately higher for apex scavengers – larger animals that primarily eat carrion, or decaying animal remains. New Atlas, 22 June 2025 Obligate scavengers, or those that only consume carrion, are especially vulnerable. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 June 2025 By removing carrion from the environment, vultures contribute to nutrient recycling and keep contaminants from festering in soil and water. Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 9 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for carrion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carrion
Noun
  • Grab them from the bottom, and a cloud of fruit flies and stink rises from the carcass turning to mush in your hands.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
  • These areas are under carcass transportation and baiting restrictions to monitor and contain CWD, officials said.
    Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Any other creation theory – hollow Earth, flat Earth, mud collection, hanging cord, corpse reuse, dreamtime, biosphere as gemstone in the ring of a galactic giant, please insert alternative here.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
  • In the kitchen, the inspector counted 22 roach corpses, 15 of them on the floor around fryers where three survivors roamed.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Carrion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carrion. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.

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