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.
The tale of his father on a gurney in the morgue was a deception used to push Perez to confess to killing him. Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024 This early study was published just as countries were shutting down and hospital wards and morgues were filling up. Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024 On one tape, Jackson is heard explaining the meaning of the song Seven Digits, which refers to the identification number given to dead bodies in a morgue. Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024 The Port Charles morgue may want to consider expanding its hours this holiday season. Michael Ausiello, TVLine, 13 Dec. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near morgue

Cite this Entry

“Morgue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morgue. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

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

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