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 of coffin

Noun

• casket
• tomb

Examples of coffin in a Sentence

Noun

coffins are said to be the preferred sleeping places of vampires

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Clutching a mysterious tool the shape of a mouse coffin, Firth’s villain tracks Daniel’s location by mentally transplanting himself into another person’s body, changing the color of their pupils to his own icy blue. —Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026

Few images are more enduring than 3-year-old John saluting his father’s coffin. —Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026

The integrity of college athletics has officially left the building, and the final nail in the coffin came from a Houston judge who ruled that Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby can play this upcoming season for the Red Raiders after admitting to gambling on his own team. —Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2026

The landmark is now a museum with grass springing up from the train tracks that once carried George VI's coffin from Norfolk to London. —Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 7 June 2026

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

Rhymes for coffin

• boffin
• offen
• often
• soften

Kids Definition

coffin

noun

cof·​fin

ˈkȯ-fən

: a box or case to hold a dead body