medical examiner

noun

: a usually appointed public officer whose duties are similar to those of a coroner but who is typically required to have specific medical training (as in pathology) and is qualified to conduct medical examinations and autopsies

Examples of medical examiner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The medical examiner said James and Caroline Lynch died along with their father in a murder-suicide on Tuesday. — Jennifer Borrasso, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026

The results of an autopsy performed on Tuesday were inconclusive and were pending further testing, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. — Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026

According to Filter, the Kentucky medical examiner believed the girl had been dead for two to three weeks before she was found. — Sarah Dahlberg, NBC news, 3 Nov. 2026

The trial for a man accused of fatally running down his 17-year-old girlfriend in Burlington in 2023 continued Monday with his attorney disputing the findings of the medical examiner who ruled the death a homicide. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 2 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for medical examiner

• interlaminar
• laminar

Medical Definition

medical examiner

noun

1

: a usually appointed public officer with duties similar to those of a coroner but who is required to have specific medical training (as in pathology) and is qualified to conduct medical examinations and autopsies

2

: a physician employed to make medical examinations (as of applicants for military service or of claimants of workers' compensation)

3

: a physician appointed to examine and license candidates for the practice of medicine in a political jurisdiction (as a state)

Legal Definition

medical examiner

noun

med·​i·​cal examiner

: a public officer who determines the necessity of and conducts autopsies