# coroner

/ˈkɔɹənɝ/ (US) · /kˈɒɹənɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/coroner
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. legal/public official

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

a public official who holds a legal inquiry into deaths that happen suddenly or for unknown reasons.

For teachers: a public official who presides over an inquest into deaths that are unnatural, sudden, or suspicious. In many jurisdictions, this role is judicial rather than medical.

- The coroner ruled that the man's death was an accident after hearing the evidence.
- The coroner opened an inquest into the industrial accident, summoning several witnesses to determine if safety regulations had been breached.

Usage: Often used with verbs like 'rule', 'conclude', or 'open an inquest'.

Teaching tip: In the UK and many Commonwealth countries, a coroner is usually a lawyer; in parts of the US, the role is often filled by a medical doctor.

### 2. medical examiner

noun · CEFR C1 · American English · Technical

a doctor who examines dead bodies to find the scientific cause of death.

For teachers: a medical professional, often an appointed official, who performs autopsies to determine the physiological cause and time of death.

- The coroner performed an autopsy to see if the victim had been poisoned.
- The county coroner confirmed that the cause of death was consistent with blunt force trauma, providing essential evidence for the police investigation.

Usage: In North American contexts, this sense often overlaps with 'medical examiner'.

Teaching tip: While 'coroner' and 'medical examiner' are used interchangeably in casual American English, a medical examiner is always a physician, whereas a coroner may be an elected official.

## Examples

- The coroner examined the body at the scene.
- The coroner ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of the driver's death.
- After the coroner ruled the death a suicide, the family accepted the findings and closed the chapter on their grief.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.