coroner

noun

cor·​o·​ner ˈkȯr-ə-nər 

ˈkär-

: a usually elected public officer who is typically not required to have specific medical qualifications and whose principal duty is to inquire by an inquest into the cause of any death which there is reason to suppose is not due to natural causes compare medical examiner

Examples of coroner in a Sentence

The coroner examined the body but found no evidence of foul play.

Recent Examples on the Web

Senior coroner Anne Pember reportedly said Bednarczyk had been identified through DNA, adding that her body had not been released yet. —Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 11 Apr. 2025

His medical records, often presented in courts as proof that Lansky could not possibly endure legal proceedings, read like coroners’ reports, not descriptions of a living man. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025

The coroner identified the suspect involved in the fatal shooting of Officer Osmar Rodarte as Rick David Oliver, 60, of Olivehurst, according to a Thursday news release from sheriff’s officials. —Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 28 Mar. 2025

The man will be identified by the Arapahoe County coroner’s office. —Max Levy, Denver Post, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English corowner, coronour "local officer of the crown charged with supervision of royal pleas," borrowed from Anglo-French coroner, corouner, from corone, coroune crown entry 1 + -er -er entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for coroner

• foreigner

Kids Definition

coroner

noun

cor·​o·​ner ˈkȯr-ə-nər 

ˈkär-

: a public officer whose chief duty is to discover the cause of any death possibly not due to natural causes

Medical Definition

coroner

noun

cor·​o·​ner ˈkȯr-ə-nər, ˈkär- 

: a usually elected public officer who is typically not required to have specific medical qualifications and whose principal duty is to inquire by an inquest into the cause of any death which there is reason to suppose is not due to natural causes see medical examiner sense 1

Legal Definition

coroner

noun

cor·​o·​ner ˈkȯr-ə-nər 

: a public officer whose principal duty is to inquire by an inquest into the cause of death when there is reason to think the death may not be due to natural causes

Etymology

Anglo-French, recorder of crown pleas, from corone crown