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Human autopsies are generally performed either to determine the cause of death or to observe the deadly effects of a disease for research or education purposes. Autopsies may be necessary when tracking an epidemic; they're also performed to discover whether a death might actually have resulted from murder, and if so, what evidence it might reveal that could help catch the murderer. Animal necropsies are actually more common than human autopsies, since a farmer with livestock is always concerned that whatever killed one animal not pose a threat to the others.
Examples of necropsy in a Sentence
Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2024
The academy said extreme wind conditions and the timing of the tides delayed the necropsy for several days.
—Jason Green, The Mercury News, 1 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for necropsy 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'necropsy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Necropsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/necropsy. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
necropsy
1 of 2 noun
necropsy
2 of 2 transitive verb
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