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.
His Know Your Rights Camp has helped pay for 150 independent autopsies — such as the one for Nolan Wells this year — and has also paid hundreds of thousands in legal grants and bail relief. — Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026 Appealing to younger voters is something Democrats need to urgently do, according to the Democratic National Committee's autopsy of why the party lost the 2024 election, released in May. — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 An autopsy for the Pawnee Heights High School football player was scheduled for last week in Wichita. — Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026 It was removed from the pond by firefighters before being taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Farmington for an autopsy. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 28 Aug. 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Autopsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autopsy. Accessed 3 Sep. 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

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about autopsy

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