Meaning & use
necropsy
Last updated
An examination of a body after death to determine the cause of death, especially performed on animals.
See it in a sentence
The zoo scheduled a necropsy to find out why the elephant had died so suddenly.
Veterinary pathologists perform necropsies to track disease outbreaks in livestock.
A note on using this word
Necropsy and autopsy mean essentially the same thing, but necropsy is the term almost always used for animals rather than humans.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “necropsy”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.