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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

medical examiner

The county’s chief medical examiner, Michelle Jorden, determined that medical neglect was “a significant factor in her death,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

After Walker’s death, a medical examiner ruled that she died of hypertensive cardiovascular disease with preeclampsia, the latter of which is a dangerous pregnancy-related high blood pressure condition that doctors had identified in Walker.

From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026

The repository was built into the bedrock of the World Trade Center site and can only be accessed by medical examiner staff.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

On cross-examination, the defense team got a medical examiner to admit they could not absolutely rule out that Hernandez was holding the weapon or attempted to harm herself the night of the killing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

“The medical examiner will determine if these were homicides, accidents, natural deaths—” “Natural?”

From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson

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