corpse
Plural
corpses
1
the lifeless body of a human being
- The detectives found the corpse in the abandoned warehouse.
- The corpse was taken to the morgue for an autopsy.
- He was horrified when he stumbled upon a corpse in the forest.
- The ancient tomb contained the well-preserved corpse of a pharaoh.
- The firefighters discovered several corpses in the burned building.
2
an actor who breaks character by laughing or forgetting their lines, causing the scene to come to a halt
A corpse is an actor who disrupts a scene by breaking character, usually due to laughing uncontrollably or forgetting their lines. This interruption often causes the performance to momentarily stop, as the actor struggles to regain composure or recall their lines. The term highlights the difficulty of maintaining the illusion of the performance and can add an element of unpredictability to live theater.
- During the intense drama, one actor suddenly became a corpse, cracking up in the middle of a serious scene.
- The comedian was known for making his co-stars corpse during live performances.
- She tried her best to stay in character, but ended up as a corpse when her fellow actor made a funny face.
- He was so nervous that he became a corpse, forgetting his lines completely.