body snatcher

American  

noun

1. a person who steals corpses; graverobber.

2. Slang. an agency that recruits executives working for one company to fill top management positions in another.

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body snatcher British  

noun

1. (formerly) a person who robbed graves and sold the corpses for dissection

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Other Word Forms

• body snatching
  noun

Etymology

Origin of body snatcher

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

He also emphasized empirical medical evidence over unproven theory, stressed the body’s natural ability to heal, and generally advocated what today we would call holistic medicine, including the use of medicinal herbs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

This inflammatory environment weakens the body's natural defenses by suppressing its anti-cancer immune response, making it harder for immune cells to attack cancerous threats.

From Science Daily • Mar. 25, 2026

Inflammation is our body's natural response to injury and infection, but can also affect blood vessels to make heart attacks and strokes more likely.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026

Endorphins are among several types of “endogenous opioids”—your body’s natural painkillers.

From Slate • Jan. 30, 2026

But she had died at least a thousand years before, and all that the sealed cask had done was to act as a mummy's wrap, slowing, but not eliminating her body's natural decomposition.

From The Mantooth by Leadem, Christopher