autopsy
Americannoun
-
autopsies
plural
-
inspection and dissection of a body after death, as for determination of the cause of death; postmortem examination.
-
an analysis of something after it has been done or made.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
Also called: necropsy, postmortem examination. dissection and examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death
-
an eyewitness observation
-
any critical analysis
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of autopsy
1645–55; (< Middle French autopsie ) < Greek autopsía a seeing with one's own eyes, equivalent to aut- aut- + óps ( is ) -opsis + -ia -y 3
Compare meaning
How does autopsy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
An autopsy is the dissection of a dead human body to figure out the cause of death. If you watch crime shows on TV, you've probably seen hundreds of 'em. The word autopsy comes from the Greek, meaning "to see with one's own eyes." Many cultures thought it was sacrilegious to mar the human body, because the dead person would need it in the afterlife (you don't want to be hanging out for eternity with your pals while your intestines are flapping around your ankles). Autopsy is used interchangeably with the term post-mortem, Latin for "after-death."
Vocabulary lists containing autopsy
To Thine Own Self Be True: Auto
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Into the Wild
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Common Senses: Op, Ops, Opt ("Sight")
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Santa Clara County medical examiner’s autopsy report, obtained by the Journal, said there was “no reported evidence of physical struggle or foul play in the apartment.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
It said an autopsy would be conducted but "foul play is not suspected".
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
The commission, which based its findings on the autopsy and other things, said Maradona had a history of heart problems that should have been taken into account, a conclusion the prosecution emphasized.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
The manner of death is listed as pending the outcome of an autopsy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
They opened him up for an autopsy and found that his kidneys were destroyed and that his liver was destroyed.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
Authorities overseeing the process have completed autopsies on all 69 people killed in the crash, with 56 identified so far, according to their latest update.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
We can find it on autopsies, but the public isn’t paying attention to that.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
The San Diego County medical examiner’s office plans to perform autopsies to determine the cause and manner of death of the three people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
In the other, 2,959 participants underwent autopsies after death, at an average age of 82, so researchers could look for evidence of Alzheimer's disease.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
All I knew about autopsies was what I had seen on reruns of “Quincy,” but somehow it never occurred to me that my information might be inaccurate because it came from a TV show.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Identified tentatively as John or Jane Does, the bodies will be transported to the medical examiner’s offices near downtown Los Angeles to be autopsied, Ukpo said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2025
The bill will not effect how bodies are processed when involved in a criminal case, such as when a body must be autopsied.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 12, 2024
Since July 2021, Dr Fortun has autopsied the remains of more than 90 victims, and discovered multiple inconsistencies.
From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2024
Dr. Anne Shepler, a forensic pathologist at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center who autopsied Brandon’s body, told the Winston-Salem Journal that he died from breathing smoke and fumes.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 16, 2023
Griffith autopsied the mice and found that the rough bacteria had changed: they had acquired the smooth coat—the virulence-determining factor—merely by contact with the debris from the dead bacteria.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Dr. Henry C. Sweany of Chicago, after autopsying 700 patients whose life-long histories he knew, was convinced that in about half of the adults who die of tuberculosis, the childhood infection flared up.
From Time Magazine Archive
University of Chicago pediatric neurologist Dr. Peter Huttenlocher has chronicled this extraordinary epoch in brain development by autopsying the brains of infants and young children who have died unexpectedly.
From Time Magazine Archive
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
