1. People who steal dead bodies, historically from graves or morgues, often for sale to medical schools for dissection and anatomical study.
Usage: historical; plural form; singular is 'bodysnatcher'; primarily British English
2. In science fiction, alien creatures or entities that take over or replace human bodies.
Usage: figurative; from popular culture, especially the film 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'

Examples

• In 18th-century Edinburgh, bodysnatchers supplied anatomists with cadavers for research.
• The Burke and Hare murders were committed by bodysnatchers who sold victims to medical schools.
• The horror film featured bodysnatchers from outer space replacing townspeople one by one.
• Bodysnatchers operated in the shadows of graveyards, digging up fresh burials.
• The protagonist discovered that the bodysnatchers had already replaced half the town's population.