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

The team did not provide a cause of death, while a death certificate later obtained by media outlets said Irsay died from heart issues and complications due to pneumonia. —Sean Neumann, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025

Haroutunian signed Irsay’s death certificate, which said the cause was cardiac arrest due to pneumonia and heart issues, according to the newspaper. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025

His death certificate lists septic shock as cause of death. —Jessica Van Egeren, jsonline.com, 28 Aug. 2025

Her cause of death was metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma, a rare cancer that forms in the muscles of the uterus, according to a death certificate obtained by USA TODAY. —Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 26 Aug. 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.