coroner

American  

[kawr-uh-ner, kor-] / ˈkɔr ə nər, ˈkɒr- /

noun

coroners plural

1. an officer, as of a county or municipality, whose chief function is to investigate by inquest, as before a jury, any death not clearly resulting from natural causes.

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coroner British  

/ ˈkɒrənə /

noun

1. a public official responsible for the investigation of violent, sudden, or suspicious deaths and inquiries into treasure trove. The investigation ( coroner's inquest ) is held in the presence of a jury ( coroner's jury ) See also procurator fiscal Compare medical examiner

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• coronership
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• coroners
  plural

Etymology

Origin of coroner

1225–75; Middle English < Anglo-French corouner supervisor of the Crown's pleas, equivalent to coroune crown + -er -er ²

Explanation

A coroner is a scientist with a grim specialty: a coroner studies dead bodies and figures out the cause of death. If you've ever watched a TV show or movie about crime, chances are you've seen a character who was a coroner. If someone dies of a heart attack, there's not much need for a coroner, because everyone knows how they died. When the circumstances are unclear or suspicious, a coroner is needed. Coroners are very helpful in solving crimes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

coroner coroners

Dental records confirmed the body was Wells, Jackson County coroner Bruce Lynd told the BBC's US news partner CBS News.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

At Gareth's inquest, coroner Jonathan Stevens made a number of recommendations for Pentonville to follow to prevent future deaths.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

Asked by assistant coroner Sophie Cartwright KC why he did not bring this to the attention of the coronial investigation, Basu said: "If that question had been asked to me directly, I would have done."

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

She told the coroner: "There were players I had more concerns about from a mental health or a coping point of view."

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

James Tabb, the boat-builder, was standing up now and the coroner was asking him a question.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

She performs post-mortem examinations in Sheffield on children from as far away as Kent, Newcastle and the West Midlands, with bodies sometimes arriving a month later because "coroners have been trying to find a pathologist".

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

Two elected South Carolina coroners said in interviews that Spivey’s body appeared to have been illegally handled.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026

He added: "I think it's really important that coroners become more aware of the link between gambling and gambling disorder and suicide."

From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2026

Mounfield died last month - aged 63 - peacefully in his sleep of "respiratory issues" linked to the long-standing lung condition, emphysema, coroners confirmed to the Manchester Evening News.

From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2025

The best of accountants, but the poorest of coroners is he.

From From Sea to Sea Letters of Travel by Kipling, Rudyard