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

But that distinction doesn't really matter anymore, due to the sneakiest bait-and switch that put the final nail in America's cannabis coffin. —Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024

Israeli soldiers carry the coffin of combat engineer squad commander Staff Sgt. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 2 Dec. 2024

The horrific deaths of thirty-two Mexican guest farmworkers, or braceros, in California in 1963 put the nail in the coffin of an already-controversial labor program. —Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 30 Nov. 2024

The station also reported that Oliver pieced the coffin back together himself. —Rebecca Cohen, NBC News, 21 Nov. 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