coffin

¹ American  

[kaw-fin, kof-in] / ˈkɔ fɪn, ˈkɒf ɪn /

noun

1. the box or case in which the body of a dead person is placed for burial; casket.

2. the part of a horse's foot containing the coffin bone.

3. Printing.

   1. the bed of a platen press.

   2. the wooden frame around the bed of an early wooden press.

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verb (used with object)

1. to put or enclose in or as in a coffin.

Coffin ² American  

[kaw-fin, kof-in] / ˈkɔ fɪn, ˈkɒf ɪn /

noun

1. Levi, 1798–1877, U.S. abolitionist leader.

2. Robert P(eter) Tristram, 1892–1955, U.S. poet, essayist, and biographer.

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coffin British  

/ ˈkɒfɪn /

noun

1. a box in which a corpse is buried or cremated

2. the part of a horse's foot that contains the coffin bone

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verb

1. (tr) to place in or as in a coffin

2. engineering another name for flask

Other Word Forms

• coffinless adjective
• uncoffin verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of coffin

1300–50; Middle English cofin < Old North French < Latin cophinus < Greek kóphinos a kind of basket

Example Sentences

Many in Hollywood have expressed deep concerns about a Netflix takeover, saying they worry it would drive the final nail into the coffin of the movie theater business.

From MarketWatch

Mourners at his funeral in November 2024 were only able to reach the cemetery by snowmobile, and Akeev's coffin arrived on wide wooden sleds.

From BBC

The family of an 18-year-old soldier who died in his barracks nine days after escorting Queen Elizabeth II's coffin said his regiment needed to take "better care of the soldiers".

From BBC

"He went to seek happiness for his children and his family, and now his body has returned in a coffin. It's unbearable," his son said.

From Barron's

The dearth of public transport is another nail in the coffin of the sputtering economy.

From Barron's

Related Words

• crate
• sarcophagus