# autopsy

/ˈɔˌtɑpsi/ (US) · /ˈɔːtɒpsˌi/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/autopsy
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. medical examination of a body

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a medical examination of a dead body to find out why the person died.

For teachers: a surgical procedure performed on a cadaver to determine the cause and manner of death.

- The coroner ordered an autopsy to find out if the man died of natural causes.
- The preliminary autopsy report indicated that the victim had suffered a massive cardiac event, though toxicology results were still pending.

Usage: Often used with the verbs 'perform', 'conduct', or 'order'.

### 3. to examine a body

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical · Formal

to perform a medical examination on a dead body.

For teachers: to perform a post-mortem examination on a corpse. Transitive, taking the body or deceased person as the object.

- The medical examiner autopsied the body early the next morning.
- The pathologist refused to release the remains until the state had autopsied the victim in accordance with criminal procedure.

## Examples

- The doctor performed an autopsy to find the cause of death.
- The medical examiner scheduled an autopsy for Monday morning to confirm if the victim died of natural causes.
- While the preliminary report suggested heart failure, the full autopsy revealed a rare underlying condition that had gone undetected during the patient's lifetime.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.