coffin

1 of 2

noun

cof·​fin ˈkȯ-fən 

: a box or chest for burying a corpse compare casket

coffin

2 of 2

verb

coffined; coffining; coffins

transitive verb

: to enclose in or as if in a coffin

Synonyms of coffin

Noun

• casket
• tomb

Examples of coffin in a Sentence

Noun

coffins are said to be the preferred sleeping places of vampires

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

As the funeral procession got underway and the crowds swelled, a small group of supporters took Seif al-Islam’s coffin away and later performed the funeral prayers and buried him. —Yousef Murad, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026

On Friday, September 5, the coffin was moved to Kensington Palace; the following morning, she was buried at Althorp. —Emma Banks, InStyle, 6 Feb. 2026

The store offered tarot readings and seances, as well as a room full of oddities, including a coffin, taxidermies and an electroshock therapy kit, according to The Salisbury Post. —Charlotte Observer, 4 Feb. 2026

Carlson put the final nail in Kirk’s coffin seven weeks after his death by inviting Fuentes, the activist’s nemesis, onto his show—perhaps the most popular podcast on the American right—for a cordial conversation. —Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

Noun

1525, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1564, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing coffin

• a nail in the/someone's coffin
• coffin bone
• coffin corner
• coffin nail

Rhymes for coffin

• boffin
• offen
• often
• soften
• tryptophan

Kids Definition

coffin

noun

cof·​fin

ˈkȯ-fən

: a box or case to hold a dead body