death certificate

noun

: an official document that gives information about a person's death (such as when and how the death happened)

Examples of death certificate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At the same time, the release of Kepner’s public death certificate and related filings offers rare insight into an otherwise opaque investigation, raising broader questions about transparency, juvenile justice, and the handling of suspicious deaths aboard cruise ships. —Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025

The public document does not include her cause or manner of death, which is only given on the version of the death certificate supplied to her immediate family under Florida law. —Michael Ruiz , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Andre Tinoco, FOXNews.com, 25 Nov. 2025

Karen died from cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac arrhythmia, according to a death certificate obtained by TMZ at the time. —Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025

The death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner has been ruled a homicide, according to a copy of the death certificate issued on Monday and provided to ABC News by Kepner's family. —Douglas Lantz, ABC News, 24 Nov. 2025

Legal Definition

death certificate

noun

: a document setting forth information (as age, occupation, and place of birth) relating to a dead person and including a doctor's certification of the cause of death

Note: Death certificates are issued by a particular public official, as a city or town clerk. A death certificate is required to document a person's death for certain purposes, as to file an estate tax return or to probate an estate.