medical examiner
Americannoun
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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.
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a physician retained by an insurance company, industrial firm, or the like, to give medical examinations to its clients or employees.
noun
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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
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a physician who carries out medical examinations
Etymology
Origin of medical examiner
First recorded in 1840–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
The LAPD’s Juvenile Division is investigating the case, and the Los Angeles County medical examiner will determine the child’s cause of death, Castillo said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
The medical examiner cited a “spontaneous rupture” of blood vessels in the brain caused by an underlying medical condition.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
A medical examiner had quickly ruled it an accident without waiting for a toxicology report.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
“The medical examiner will determine if these were homicides, accidents, natural deaths—” “Natural?”
From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson
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.
