autopsy

noun

au·​top·​sy ˈȯ-ˌtäp-sē How to pronounce autopsy (audio)
ˈȯ-təp-
plural autopsies
Synonyms of autopsy
1
: an examination of a body after death to determine the cause of death or the character and extent of changes produced by disease

called also necropsy

2
: a critical examination, evaluation, or assessment of someone or something past
autopsy transitive verb

Synonyms of autopsy

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Examples of autopsy in a Sentence

The coroner performed an autopsy on the murder victim's body. the autopsy revealed an advanced stage of cancer
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.
The sheriff also said investigators are awaiting the state medical examiner’s findings, including toxicology results, while Wells’ family is pursuing their own independent autopsy. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026 Adams' father, Juanito Adams, told South African TV news station eNCA on Sunday that the family were waiting for the results of an autopsy and had not yet made any funeral plans. — ABC News, 13 July 2026 The autopsy found the wall had been thinning from the inside for a long time, its elastic fibers fragmenting. — Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News, 13 July 2026 Actor and producer Tyler Perry is chipping in for the 18-year-old’s funeral, and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is helping fund an independent autopsy commissioned by Wells’s family. — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 13 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for autopsy

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "act of seeing with one's own eyes, direct observation," borrowed from New Latin autopsia, borrowed from Greek autopsía, from aut- aut- + -opsia, later variant of -opsis "act of seeing, sight" — more at optic entry 1

Note: Use of the word in English to refer specifically to the examination of a corpse is apparently not known before the nineteenth century. The Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, notes French autopsie in the sense "post-mortem examination" from "1671 or earlier," but gives no source for an attestation. In French the phrase autopsie cadavérique is fairly common after 1800, but does not seem to have been used earlier. In Latin medical texts of the eighteenth century, the phrase autopsia cadaverum "autopsy of cadavers" (with variants) can be found in a number of texts, as the Synopsis universae praxeos medicae, pars prima (Amsterdam, 1765) of the French physician Joseph Lieutaud.

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of autopsy was in 1805

Rhymes for autopsy

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Browse Nearby Words

autopsist
autopsy
autoptic
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Cite this Entry

“Autopsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autopsy. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

autopsy

noun
au·​top·​sy ˈȯ-ˌtäp-sē How to pronounce autopsy (audio)
ˈȯt-əp-
plural autopsies
: an examination of a dead body especially to find out the cause of death
autopsy verb
Etymology

from Greek autopsia "the act of seeing with one's own eyes," from aut- "self" and opsis "sight," from opsesthai "to be going to see" — related to optic

Medical Definition

autopsy

1 of 2 noun
au·​top·​sy ˈȯ-ˌtäp-sē How to pronounce autopsy (audio) ˈȯt-əp- How to pronounce autopsy (audio)
plural autopsies
: an examination of the body after death usually with such dissection as will expose the vital organs for determining the cause of death or the character and extent of changes produced by disease

called also necropsy, postmortem, postmortem examination

autopsy

2 of 2 transitive verb
autopsied; autopsying
: to perform an autopsy on

Legal Definition

autopsy

noun
au·​top·​sy ˈȯ-ˌtäp-sē, -təp- How to pronounce autopsy (audio)
plural autopsies
: an examination of a body after death usually involving dissection especially to determine the cause of death

called also post mortem, post mortem examination

autopsy transitive verb

More from Merriam-Webster on autopsy

Nglish: Translation of autopsy for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about autopsy

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