autopsy
Americannoun
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autopsies
plural
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inspection and dissection of a body after death, as for determination of the cause of death; postmortem examination.
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an analysis of something after it has been done or made.
verb (used with object)
noun
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Also called: necropsy, postmortem examination. dissection and examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death
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an eyewitness observation
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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
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Into the Wild
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Common Senses: Op, Ops, Opt ("Sight")
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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
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 actor was declared dead on 12 October at what was believed to be his home, Cameron County Justice of the Peace, Cyndi Hinojosa, told the Associated Press, adding that an autopsy would be performed.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
The manner of death is listed as pending the outcome of an autopsy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
At the Executive Mansion, the soldiers carried the president’s body in its temporary coffin to the second floor for an autopsy.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
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
Last week authorities in the South-East Asian country said they couldn't determine if the deaths "were caused by the actions of any individual or by any particular cause, because no autopsies were conducted".
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
After fourteen dogs had died, Drs. Macklin and McIlroy performed autopsies and discovered that many of the dogs had worms; the ship’s stores did not include the proper medication.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
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
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
These waterfowl are among the world's most plastic-contaminated species, according to a previous study by some of the same authors reporting that 90 percent of autopsied flesh-footed shearwaters had ingested plastic.
From Salon ● Mar. 8, 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
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