carcass

American  

[kahr-kuhs] / ˈkɑr kəs /

Or carcase

noun

• carcasses
  plural

1. the dead body of an animal.

2. Slang. the body of a human being, whether living or dead.

3. the body of a slaughtered animal after removal of the offal.

4. anything from which life and power are gone.

   The mining town, now a mere carcass, is a reminder of a past era.

5. an unfinished framework or skeleton, as of a house or ship.

6. the body of a furniture piece designed for storage, as a chest of drawers or wardrobe, without the drawers, doors, hardware, etc.

7. the inner body of a pneumatic tire, resisting by its tensile strength the pressure of the air within the tire, and protected by the tread and other parts.

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verb (used with object)

1. to erect the framework for (a building, ship, etc.).

carcass British  

/ ˈkɑːkəs /

noun

1. the dead body of an animal, esp one that has been slaughtered for food, with the head, limbs, and entrails removed

2. informal a person's body

3. the skeleton or framework of a structure

4. the remains of anything when its life or vitality is gone; shell

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Synonym Usage

See body.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• carcassless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• carcasses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of carcass

First recorded in 1250–1300; from Middle French carcasse, from Italian carcassa; replacing Middle English carkeis, carkois, from Anglo-French, corresponding to Medieval Latin carcosium; ultimately origin obscure

Explanation

In the aftermath of Thanksgiving, after turkey sandwiches and turkey noodle soup and picking all the meat off, you're left with nothing more than turkey bones — or the carcass of your holiday bird. The gruesome word carcass is often used to describe the remains of a dead animal, especially one that's been slaughtered for food. But if that makes you squeamish, you can think of carcasses in a more figurative light, because a carcass could also mean "the inner structure of something." The carcass of an old burned out building, for example, refers to its remaining walls and beams. Or think of the carcass of the couch, its inner foundation, which is supporting your rear right now.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

carcass carcasses

The site is now a hunk of twisted and blackened metal, surrounding a charred carcass of rubble.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

A meatpacker is the plant that slaughters the animal and breaks the carcass down into the cuts that reach shops or restaurants.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

“We’d have the carcass of Head Start,” Garvin said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

One orca held the carcass steady, allowing the other to strike it with greater precision.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026

The decaying carcass of a horse was spotted bobbing near one of the intake cribs.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Notably, neither scavengers nor flies that fed on the supposedly poisoned carcasses have perished -- creatures that typically succumb after consuming poisoned animals.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Grizzly bears are — were — omnivores, not picky eaters, and also lazy ones, noshing on berries, roots, acorns, beached whale carcasses and any laggardly young elk.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Their remains may then have remained exposed, allowing scavengers to feed on the carcasses before the bones were eventually buried and fossilized.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

But he was found not guilty of criminal damage - the charge that related to abandoning the carcasses.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

The wolf carcasses were too heavy to drag away, so he decided to camp further upstream.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Related Words

• frame
• framework
• hulk
• skeleton
• structure