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

Mourners carry the coffin of Hezbollah military chief Haytham Ali Tabatabai during his funeral in Beirut on Monday. —Claudio Lavanga, NBC news, 27 Nov. 2025

Their father Kamal, who survived the strike, carried a tiny coffin to their funeral, video posted by Ukraine’s foreign ministry showed. —Catherine Nicholls, CNN Money, 27 Nov. 2025

Hanging coffins have historically been ascribed to the ancient Bo ethnic group, believed to have disappeared after the Ming Dynasty that ruled from 1368 to 1644 and leaving questions about its history. —Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025

Wat Rat Prakhong Tham posted a video on its Facebook page that showed the woman moving some of her extremities while lying in a white coffin located in the back of a pick-up truck according to the AP. —Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025

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