the box or case in which the body of a dead person is placed for burial; casket.
the part of a horse's foot containing the coffin bone.
Printing.
the bed of a platen press.
the wooden frame around the bed of an early wooden press.
Levi, 1798–1877, U.S. abolitionist leader.
Robert P(eter) Tristram, 1892–1955, U.S. poet, essayist, and biographer.
a box in which a corpse is buried or cremated
the part of a horse's foot that contains the coffin bone
(tr) to place in or as in a coffin
engineering another name for flask
1300–50; Middle English cofin < Old North French < Latin cophinus < Greek kóphinos a kind of basket
The long wooden box in which a dead body is kept for burial or cremation is called a coffin. At a graveside funeral, you'll see the coffin lowered into a grave. Most coffins are made of wood, though they can also be steel, fiberglass, or bamboo. A coffin is generally thought of as the same thing as a casket, although some people distinguish between a six-sided coffin and a four-sided casket. The earliest meaning of coffin, from the 14th century, was "box for valuables," from the Latin cophinus, "basket or hamper," and the Greek root kophinos, "a basket."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Small groups of demonstrators, who were waving Kenyan flags, carrying placards and holding a coffin with the word "Ebola" written on the side, were demanding the plan be reversed.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Dozens gathered near the air base, some wearing protective equipment and carrying a coffin with "Ebola" written on it.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
The author’s ambivalence resembles that of the fellow who supposedly protested the mixing of classes on the dance floor by commissioning a wood-and-plaster coffin as a costume for a Cornelys masquerade in 1771.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Moments after the 12:53 train service to Saltburn trundles by beyond the fence, a new coffin is added to the sad collection.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
Delicate snowflakes fell upon her, and as she heard the splash of the coffin falling into the sea, Lady Meng raised her head.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
