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
An autopsy later determined her death to be a homicide, authorities said.
—
Joy Benedict, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office, which performed an autopsy on Tobler’s body, determined her injuries to multiple stab wounds.
—Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 9 Feb. 2026
The final autopsy declared his death a homicide.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The Travis County Medical Examiner has not completed an autopsy, which will determine Aguilera's official cause and manner of death.
—Annasofia Scheve, San Antonio Express-News, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for autopsy
Joy Benedict, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office, which performed an autopsy on Tobler’s body, determined her injuries to multiple stab wounds.
—Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 9 Feb. 2026
The final autopsy declared his death a homicide.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The Travis County Medical Examiner has not completed an autopsy, which will determine Aguilera's official cause and manner of death.
—Annasofia Scheve, San Antonio Express-News, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for autopsy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autopsy
Noun
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Chris Johnson in the hospital after an aortic dissection.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
31 Jan. 2026
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Additionally, Osborne said women, in particular, are at greater risk of experiencing spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), which is a leading cause of heart attacks in women under 50 and is prevalent among women who don’t display traditional risk factors for heart disease.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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If the American state disintegrates, future postmortems are unlikely to focus much on measles, or on rotavirus vaccination rates.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
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Her complaints were extremely detailed and highlighted some genuine challenges in postmortem toxicology.—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The dead puppies were transported to the University of Connecticut for a necropsy to determine their cause of death.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
6 Feb. 2026
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Results from lab tests and a necropsy — an animal autopsy — performed at the agency’s lab in Fort Collins were pending on Wednesday.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Autopsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autopsy. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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