morgue

noun

1
: a place where the bodies of dead persons are kept temporarily pending identification or release for burial or autopsy
2
: a collection of reference works and files of reference material in a newspaper or news periodical office

Examples of morgue in a Sentence

old news stories found in a newspaper morgue
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.
Michigan State Police said Bromley tried to access the morgue where his wife's body was being held by impersonating a trooper but was denied access. Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 15 Feb. 2025 Bromley then pretended to be a trooper to gain access to the morgue where his wife’s body was, but he was not allowed inside, authorities said. Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2025 As the militarized response created power vacuums and turf wars, murder rates soared, and morgues grew overwhelmed. Tyler McBrien, The Dial, 28 Jan. 2025 Newspapers had them too, and called them the morgue, which kept track of print and photo archives. Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for morgue

Word History

Etymology

French

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of morgue was in 1795

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Morgue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morgue. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

morgue

noun
1
: a place where the bodies of the dead are kept temporarily until they are identified or released for burial
2
: a department of a newspaper where reference material is filed

Medical Definition

morgue

noun
: a place where the bodies of dead persons are kept temporarily pending identification or release for burial or autopsy

Legal Definition

morgue

noun
: a place where the bodies of persons found dead are kept until identified and claimed by relatives or released for burial or autopsy

More from Merriam-Webster on morgue

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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