medical examiner

American  

noun

1. a physician or other person trained in medicine who is appointed by a city, county, or the like, to perform autopsies on the bodies of persons supposed to have died from unnatural causes and to investigate the cause and circumstances of such deaths.

2. a physician retained by an insurance company, industrial firm, or the like, to give medical examinations to its clients or employees.

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medical examiner British  

noun

1. a medical expert, usually a physician, employed by a state or local government to determine the cause of sudden death in cases of suspected violence, suicide, etc Compare coroner

2. a physician who carries out medical examinations

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Etymology

Origin of medical examiner

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

medical examiner

US Senator Lindsey Graham died of an "aortic dissection" caused by cardiovascular disease, according to a preliminary finding by the Washington DC medical examiner.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Graham’s office said the medical examiner in Washington, D.C., attributed the South Carolina Republican’s death to aortic dissection, due to coronary artery disease.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

By last year, Cali’s homicides were down to 1,107, according to Colombia’s medical examiner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

County medical examiner released Hasley’s identity Tuesday but had yet to rule on his cause of death.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

A simple chalk mark drawn by the medical examiner on one’s clothes could have a person barred from entering his newly adopted country.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool