inquest

noun

in·​quest ˈin-ˌkwest 

1

a

: a judicial or official inquiry or examination especially before a jury

a coroner's inquest

b

: a body of people (such as a jury) assembled to hold such an inquiry

c

: the finding of the jury upon such inquiry or the document recording it

2

: inquiry, investigation

Synonyms

• delving
• disquisition
• examen
• examination
• exploration
• inquiry
• inquisition
• investigation
• probation
• probe
• probing
• research
• study

Examples of inquest in a Sentence

The court has ordered an inquest into his death.

the police conducted an inquest into the case

Recent Examples on the Web

And as the law firm's statement says, an inquest determined that earlier intervention would likely have changed Ava-Lea's outcome. —Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 9 Dec. 2024

The families of the Hillsborough victims fought for years — and in the face of terrible smears from the media, police and politicians — to secure an inquest verdict of unlawful killing, rightly a gross injustice. —Phil Hay, The Athletic, 9 Aug. 2024

The cause of death of Ian Farquhar — who had close ties to the royal family, including serving as an equerry to the Queen Mother — has been revealed following an inquest. —Rachel Burchfield, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024

The inquest into their early exit rumbles on — the Chilean Football Federation has even asked for the referee in that final game to be suspended — but those complaints do not mask a disappointing campaign in which old hands and promising young talents alike failed to perform. —Thom Harris, The Athletic, 4 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French enqueste, from Vulgar Latin *inquaesta, feminine of *inquaestus, past participle of *inquaerere to inquire

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

inquest

noun

in·​quest ˈin-ˌkwest 

: a judicial or official investigation

Medical Definition

inquest

noun

in·​quest ˈin-ˌkwest 

: a judicial or official inquiry especially before a jury to determine the cause of a violent or unexpected death

a coroner's inquest

Legal Definition

inquest

noun

in·​quest ˈin-ˌkwest 

1

: a judicial or official inquiry or examination often before a jury

a coroner's inquest

compare trial

2

: a body of people (as a jury) assembled to hold a judicial or official inquiry

also : the finding of such an inquiry or the document recording it

Etymology

Anglo-French enqueste, from Old French, ultimately from Latin inquirere to ask about, from in- within, into + quaerere to seek