coffin

1 of 2

noun

cof·​fin ˈkȯ-fən 

: a box or chest for burying a corpse compare casket

coffin

2 of 2

verb

coffined; coffining; coffins

transitive verb

: to enclose in or as if in a coffin

Synonyms

Noun

• bier
• box
• casket
• pall
• sarcophagus

Examples of coffin in a Sentence

Noun

coffins are said to be the preferred sleeping places of vampires

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The coffin interiors provide a contrasting color to the black. —Simon Hill, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2024

Things go from bad to worse on the car ride to the ceremony to load Ronnie’s coffin onto a military transport plane back to the U.S. —Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024

But one coffin is loosely draped with two yellow Hezbollah flags, and the funeral turns into a pro-Hezbollah event, featuring heartfelt chants of loyalty to Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah chief assassinated by Israel in late September. —Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Oct. 2024

Perhaps this version will put a nail in the franchise's coffin once and for all? —The Week Uk, theweek, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English cofyn, coffyn "basket, hamper" (in translations from Latin), "chest, box," borrowed from Anglo-French cofin, coffin "basket, chest, container," borrowed from Latin cophinus "large basket, hamper," borrowed from Greek kóphinos "large basket," of pre-Greek substratal origin

Verb

derivative of coffin entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1525, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1564, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing coffin

• a nail in the/someone's coffin
• coffin bone
• coffin corner
• coffin nail

Kids Definition

coffin

noun

cof·​fin

ˈkȯ-fən

: a box or case to hold a dead body