postmortem examinations

noun

plural of postmortem examination
as in autopsies
examination of a dead body especially to find out the cause of death a coroner performed the postmortem examination with painstaking thoroughness

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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 postmortem examinations Preliminary laboratory tests detected cyanide, while postmortem examinations found tomatoes in the animals’ stomachs. — ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for postmortem examinations
autopsies
Noun
  • The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension assisted with processing the scene, and the Ramsey County medical examiner will conduct autopsies.
    — Cole Premo, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Toxicology tests for autopsies took two weeks or more by a private, out-of-state lab.
    — Susan Sarkauskas, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of autopsies

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postmortem examination
postmortem examinations
postmortems
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Cite this Entry

“Postmortem examinations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/postmortem%20examinations. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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