coffin

noun

cof·fin | \ ˈkȯ-fən

Definition of coffin

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a box or chest for burying a corpse — compare casket

coffin

verb

coffined; coffining; coffins

Definition of coffin (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to enclose in or as if in a coffin

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about coffin

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Synonyms for coffin

Synonyms: Noun

bier, box, casket, pall, sarcophagus

Examples of coffin in a Sentence

Noun

coffins are said to be the preferred sleeping places of vampires

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Apple put a final nail in the coffin of the iPad being less useful than a computer by finally, after nine years, allowing consumers to insert USB flash drives and move files back and forth. — Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY, "Apple WWDC 2019: iTunes is yesterday; today's all about swifter new iOS features," 3 June 2019 For a lot of indie devs, that’d be the final nail in the coffin. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: Alan Wake is back on sale after a 17 month absence, Layers of Fear 2 announced," 26 Oct. 2018 Rings culture is already looking obsolete in the KD Warriors era, but this move could put the nail in the coffin. — Andrew Sharp, SI.com, "LeBron James And All His Free Agency Options," 15 June 2018 The company plans to shut down all consumer functionality of Google+, effectively putting the final nail in the coffin of a product that was launched in 2011 to challenge Facebook and is widely seen as one of Google’s biggest failures. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Recode Daily: Why Google is shutting down Google+, Facebook’s tone-deaf camera device," 9 Oct. 2018 But Dash forward Thembi Kgatlana put the nail in the coffin in additional time. — Parth Upadhyaya, Houston Chronicle, "Rachel Daly's brace carries Dash over Pride," 12 July 2018 Mountaineers and officials gathered at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu offering flowers and burning incense by the bodies, which were kept in wooden coffins. — Binaj Gurubacharya, The Seattle Times, "Deaths spark calls in Nepal for better warning systems," 16 Oct. 2018 Down the 30-meter-deep shaft lie several mummies, wooden coffins and sarcophagi. — Fox News, "Archaeologists in Egypt discover ancient mummification workshop," 2 Oct. 2018 The United States military has already moved coffins and American flags to Panmunjom in anticipation of receiving the remains. — New York Times, "North Koreans Are No-Shows at Meeting to Discuss U.S. Soldiers’ Remains," 12 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coffin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for coffin

Noun

Middle English cofyn, coffyn "basket, hamper" (in translations from Latin), "chest, box," borrowed from Anglo-French cofin, coffin "basket, chest, container," borrowed from Latin cophinus "large basket, hamper," borrowed from Greek kóphinos "large basket," of pre-Greek substratal origin

Verb

derivative of coffin entry 1

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