carcass

noun

car·​cass ˈkär-kəs 

1

: a dead body : corpse

especially : the dressed body of a meat animal

Butchers trimmed the meat from the carcass.

2

: the living, material, or physical body

It was nearly noon when he finally hauled his carcass out of bed.

3

: the decaying or worthless remains of a structure

the carcass of an abandoned automobile

4

: the underlying structure or frame of something (as of a piece of furniture)

Synonyms

• bones
• cadaver
• corpse
• corpus
• corse [archaic]
• relics
• remains
• stiff

Examples of carcass in a Sentence

the rusting carcass of an old truck

the carcass of a squirrel that had been run over

Recent Examples on the Web

Receding ice during spring thaw can free carcasses to float to the surface or the shoreline. —Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 14 Mar. 2025

Prehistoric humans had used the site for roughly 300 years as a place to butcher and process animal carcasses. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Mar. 2025

Human ancestors were likely inspired to make tools from bone due the abundance of animal carcasses available across the landscape, especially during seasonal migrations, Njau said, while rocks may have been harder to come by depending on where the hominins lived. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 5 Mar. 2025

Russell and Tolstoy did not spare their readers, depicting ghastly scenes replete with torn and bloodied bodies and decomposing animal carcasses. —Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English carcays, from Anglo-French carcas, carkeis

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for carcass

• arcus

Kids Definition

carcass

noun

car·​cass ˈkär-kəs 

: a dead body

especially : the body of a meat animal prepared for market

Medical Definition

carcass

noun

car·​cass ˈkär-kəs 

: a dead body : corpse

especially : the dressed body of a meat animal