morgue

[ mawrg ]

/ mɔrg /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for morgue on Thesaurus.com

noun

a place in which bodies are kept, especially the bodies of victims of violence or accidents, pending identification or burial.

a reference file of old clippings, mats, books, etc., in a newspaper office.

the room containing such a reference file.

any place, as a room or file, where records, information, or objects are kept for unexpected but possible future use.

such records, information, or objects.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of morgue

1815–25; <French; name of building in Paris housing unidentified dead bodies

Words nearby morgue

Morgan le Fay, Morganton, Morgantown, morgen, Morgenthau, morgue, MORI, Moriah, moribund, Mörike, Morini

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use morgue in a sentence

In October 1918, Philadelphia witnessed 2,600 deaths in a single week and 4,500 in the week that followed, leaving a gruesome scene at the city’s only morgue.
The key to combating conspiracy theories about coronavirus vaccines|Cameron Givens|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
“If you can keep people out of the hospitals and out of morgues, that is of tremendous value,” he said.
Coronavirus mutations add urgency to vaccination effort as experts warn of long battle ahead|Joel Achenbach, Ariana Eunjung Cha|January 30, 2021|Washington Post
This weekend, the state’s National Guard deployed a 36-member team to assist in morgues in El Paso, as the state reported 13,763 new cases on Saturday, according to The Post’s coronavirus tracker.
A birthday lunch left 15 Texas relatives battling covid-19: ‘Please don’t be like my family’|Andrea Salcedo|November 23, 2020|Washington Post
You’ll be well and firmly invested in this book once you get through that, and exhausted, as though you just finished watching a Kubrick movie with a dream sequence set in a full morgue, and there’s more story left.
A devastating reminder of AIDS crisis|Terri Schlichenmeyer|October 31, 2020|Washington Blade

Those who can’t afford to do so end up with a debt to morgues.
Border Report: Surviving in Tijuana Has Gotten Even Harder for Haitian Migrants|Maya Srikrishnan|July 20, 2020|Voice of San Diego
So far, the mystery man in the morgue has not been identified, and neither has Mr. Douli.
‘We’re Going to Die’: Survivors Recount Greek Ferry Fire Horror|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In London it is located in the Duveen Gallery where half the extant marbles sit under white light as if in a morgue.
Britain Has Lost Its Marbles: Elgin Loan Will Appease Putin|Geoffrey Robertson|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Another incident, in January, involved a Kenyan man, Paul Mutora, who woke up in the morgue 15 hours after being pronounced dead.
What It’s Like to Wake Up Dead|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Afterwards, the bodies were taken to the morgue to positively identify them.
The Shocking Death of Miss Honduras|Romina Ruiz-Goiriena|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But five years and a morgue-full of D.O.A. sitcoms later, ABC has found its new modern family.
‘black-ish’ Is the New ‘Modern Family’|Kevin Fallon|October 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Take all the little fishergirls away from Paris—from the Quartier Latin—and you would find chaos and a morgue!
The Real Latin Quarter|F. Berkeley Smith
Ward hesitated, as though doubtful about leaving this unusual person alone in the morgue, but finally assented.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
If I were a woman I would prefer to lie stretched out at the morgue than be the joint possessor of that man's ill-gotten wealth.
Black Diamonds|Mr Jkai
In the morgue-like silence her silvery voice rang with startling clearness.
The Argus Pheasant|John Charles Beecham
I went back to the Morgue and made some inquiries of the attendant there.
Dross|Henry Seton Merriman

British Dictionary definitions for morgue (1 of 2)

morgue¹

/ (mɔːɡ) /

noun

another word for mortuary (def. 1)

informal a room or file containing clippings, files, etc, used for reference in a newspaper

Word Origin for morgue

C19: from French la Morgue, a Paris mortuary

British Dictionary definitions for morgue (2 of 2)

morgue²

/ French (mɔrɡ) /

noun

superiority; haughtiness

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

morgue

Origin of morgue

Words nearby morgue

Words related to morgue

How to use morgue in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for morgue (1 of 2)

Word Origin for morgue

British Dictionary definitions for morgue (2 of 2)