coffin

noun cof·fin \ ˈkȯ-fən \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of coffin

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

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Examples of coffin in a Sentence

coffins are said to be the preferred sleeping places of vampires

Recent Examples of coffin from the Web

And waiting until Friday would be the final nail in my coffin, literally.

— allison pattillo, Health.com, "What Almost Losing My Leg Taught Me About Grit and Grace," 5 Apr. 2018
Thornell made a heart-wrenching photo of King's widow and children standing beside his open coffin; Johnson spent days inside the King family home in Atlanta and greeted another famous widow, Jackie Kennedy, at the door.

— jay reeves, Fox News, "AP was there: Journalists recall covering MLK assassination," 5 Apr. 2018
His funeral ceremonies began with a Mass in New York’s Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, and his coffin was carried from New York to Washington on a slow-moving train.

— alice george, Smithsonian, "When Robert Kennedy Delivered the News of Martin Luther King’s Assassination," 2 Apr. 2018
Two bouquets of flowers were placed upon his coffin, the BBC reported, as his body was transported from his home in Cambridge to the university church.

— dave quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Thousands Flock to Stephen Hawking's Funeral Including Theory of Everything Star Eddie Redmayne," 31 Mar. 2018
The Nicholson Museum also holds three other mummies — Horus, Meruah and Padiashiakhet — and their coffins.

— josh magness, miamiherald, "For decades, scientists said 2,500-year-old coffin was empty. Then they looked inside | Miami Herald," 27 Mar. 2018
He was given a state funeral, where his coffin was transported from the Ferenc Puskás Stadium, named in his honour, to Heroes’ Square for a military salute.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 16 Weeks to Go – Ferenc Puskás, the Galloping Major Who Led the Magical Magyars," 1 Mar. 2018
The Details: Shape: Rounded and harsh square tips are out and the coffin is in.

— allison carey, cleveland.com, "New year, new nails, what's new in manicures: Style Resolutions 2018 (photos)," 8 Jan. 2018
The grinning jack-o'-lanterns say their goodbyes, the cobwebs get brushed away, and the skeletons return to their coffins.

— suzanna lantana, Country Living, "I'm Decorating for Christmas on November 1st," 1 Nov. 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of coffin

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

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First Known Use: 1525

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