as in autopsy
examination of a dead body especially to find out the cause of death
a necropsy failed to definitively establish a cause of death
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Recent Examples of necropsy
The team stabilized the carcass before carefully removing it from the vessel and transporting it to a secure location, where experts plan to conduct a necropsy to determine the exact cause of death and confirm the species.
—
Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
Pathologists will perform a necropsy on the mountain lions to check for abnormalities and neurological diseases like rabies and avian influenza.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 2 Jan. 2026
Police collected the carcass and gave it to a veterinarian for a full necropsy before bringing the case to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, records show.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
Gwinnett County Police Department After a series of veterinary examinations and necropsies, authorities obtained 12 felony warrants and 14 misdemeanor warrants for 67-year-old Christine Abbott and 65-year-old Donna Slavin.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for necropsy
Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
Pathologists will perform a necropsy on the mountain lions to check for abnormalities and neurological diseases like rabies and avian influenza.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 2 Jan. 2026
Police collected the carcass and gave it to a veterinarian for a full necropsy before bringing the case to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, records show.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
Gwinnett County Police Department After a series of veterinary examinations and necropsies, authorities obtained 12 felony warrants and 14 misdemeanor warrants for 67-year-old Christine Abbott and 65-year-old Donna Slavin.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for necropsy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for necropsy
autopsy
Noun
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Police did not immediately release any further details, but said Wentworth Area detectives were conducting a death investigation, pending an autopsy scheduled for Saturday.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Feb. 2026
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Garay Sanchez’s cause of death was officially listed as environmental hypothermia with a contributory cause of ethanol, commonly known as alcohol, use, wrote Associate Miami-Dade Medical Examiners Jusmita Saifullan and Nicholas Barna in her autopsy released to the Miami Herald on Wednesday.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Necropsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/necropsy. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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