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.
Her husband was declared deceased at the hospital, according to the County of Los Angeles medical examiner.
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
A medical examiner had quickly ruled it an accident without waiting for a toxicology report.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
County medical examiner confirmed that Zelinka, 49, died Tuesday at a residence.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
Videos show Burke has a tattoo on one of his fingers matching the one reading "Shhh" that the Los Angeles County medical examiner previously revealed was on Celeste's index finger.
From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026
The discredited pathologist left Alabama but continues to serve as a practicing medical examiner in Texas.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
