corpse
Americannoun
-
corpses
plural
-
a dead body, usually of a human being.
- Synonyms:
- cadaver
-
something no longer useful or viable.
rusting corpses of old cars.
-
Obsolete. a human or animal body, whether alive or dead.
noun
verb
Synonym Usage
See body.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of corpse
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English corps; originally spelling variant of cors ( see corse) but the p is now sounded
Explanation
Another name for a dead body is corpse. You might hear the word on TV crime shows, but a corpse doesn't have to be a crime victim, just any lifeless body. The words corpse and "corps" are often confused, and with good reason — both came from the Latin word corpus, meaning "body," and up until the 19th Century, both referred to a dead person. Around that time, the word with the "e" at the end was established as the word for a person's remains, while the other spelling was relegated to a "body" of people working together or in a military division, and very much alive!
Vocabulary lists containing corpse
Body Language: Corp ("Body")
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The Westing Game
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
It’s sweaty, stinky time again at the Huntington Library, Art Gallery, and Botanic Gardens, where the season’s first rare corpse flower bloom is expected by July 23.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
She also believes general awareness of the corpse flower increases each summer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
In Operation Mincemeat, the British planted a corpse with fake top-secret documents implying an Allied invasion of Greece and Sardinia to provide cover for their Sicily campaign.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Hailing from the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, corpse flowers are a massive, putrid spectacle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Exhuming Bobby’s corpse was impractical for many months: His grave was covered with snow, and it was difficult to dig through Iceland’s frozen soil until late spring.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Sometimes known as "Doctor Death", he became famous for developing a technique called plastination, by which fluids and fatty tissue in corpses are replaced by rubber and polymers.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
"Loved ones are throwing themselves at the bodies, touching the corpses... while organising mourning rituals bringing together loads of people", Jean Marie Ezadri, a civil society leader in Ituri, told AFP last week.
From Barron's ● May 25, 2026
Hamas has said it remained committed to the ceasefire, including "keenness to hand over all remaining corpses".
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2025
In recent days, Hamas said it was facing difficulties retrieving corpses from the rubble of Gaza’s war-ravaged buildings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2025
Kings and corpses always draw attendants, the old saying went.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
