carcass
Americannoun
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the dead body of an animal.
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Slang. the body of a human being, whether living or dead.
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the body of a slaughtered animal after removal of the offal.
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anything from which life and power are gone.
The mining town, now a mere carcass, is a reminder of a past era.
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an unfinished framework or skeleton, as of a house or ship.
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the body of a furniture piece designed for storage, as a chest of drawers or wardrobe, without the drawers, doors, hardware, etc.
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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.
verb (used with object)
noun
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the dead body of an animal, esp one that has been slaughtered for food, with the head, limbs, and entrails removed
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informal a person's body
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the skeleton or framework of a structure
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the remains of anything when its life or vitality is gone; shell
Related Words
See body.
Other Word Forms
- carcassless adjective
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
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.
Because deer are smaller and can be eaten more quickly, this change reduces the amount of time cougars spend at a carcass, lowering the chance that wolves will show up.
From Science Daily • Mar. 3, 2026
The dolphin carcass has been sent for further examination, although test results could take up to six months.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
Using that model, Sereno collaborated with paleoartist Dani Navarro in Madrid to produce a dramatic scene showing the new species competing over a coelacanth carcass.
From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2026
"We have not seen one single carcass of any animal," Aucamp said.
From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026
He tossed the panda carcass aside, muttered a few words over the fluff, and turned with a big smile on his face.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
Definitions 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.
