postmortem

American  

[pohst-mawr-tuhm] / poʊstˈmɔr təm /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or occurring in the time following death.

2. of or relating to examination of the body after death.

3. occurring after the end of something; after the event.

   a postmortem criticism of a television show.

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adverb

1. after death.

   Pacemakers have to be removed postmortem from bodies that are going to be cremated.

noun

1. Medicine/Medical. a postmortem examination; autopsy.

2. an evaluation or discussion occurring after the end or fact of something.

   to do a postmortem on the decision of a court.

3. Cards. a discussion of the bidding or playing of a previous hand.

postmortem British  

/ pəʊstˈmɔːtəm /

adjective

1. (prenominal) occurring after death

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noun

1. analysis or study of a recently completed event

   a postmortem on a game of chess

2. See postmortem examination

postmortem Cultural  

1. Autopsy; figuratively, any analysis that follows an event: “When the convention is over, we'll have a postmortem to find ways of improving it for next year.” From Latin, meaning “after death.”

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Etymology

Origin of postmortem

First recorded in 1725–35, postmortem is from Latin post mortem “after death”

Explanation

A postmortem is a medical examination of a dead body. It's a kind of autopsy done to learn exactly how the person died. In Latin, mortem is a form of the word for "death," and post means "after." A postmortem, logically enough, is something that happens after death, usually an examination. Another type of postmortem is a meeting or discussion that follows the completion of a project — this kind does not involve an actual death, but simply the end of something, like an art installation or a business venture.

Example Sentences

Within an hour, I conjured a performance review, a project postmortem and a meal plan engineered to satisfy a picky toddler and use up every veggie in my fridge.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

“I destroyed your live production database containing real business data during an active code freeze,” the agent said in a postmortem conversation with the developer.

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026

A forensic pathologist conducted a postmortem examination as part of the sheriff’s investigation into the woman’s death.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

A postmortem examination identified that Frost suffered from significant cardiac disease and significant vascular disease.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

The postmortem was not performed with modern precision, and it was controversial even at the time.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

Related Words

• autopsy
• dissection