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

Michael died on April 4, 2024, of massive blood loss during an artillery barrage, trying to aid a wounded comrade, Larry Gloss said, citing the Russian death certificate. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025

Pope Francis died on April 21 after suffering a stroke and heart failure, Vatican doctor Andrea Arcangeli said in a death certificate released on Monday, Reuters reported. —Mike Snider, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025

Just prior to that grim discovery (and Alden’s subsequent scream of frustration), Jimmy reported to the rest of the team that something about Parker’s mother’s original death certificate wasn’t adding up. —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 5 May 2025

Francis died of a stroke and irreversible heart failure, Vatican doctor Andrea Arcangeli said in a death certificate released April 21. —Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 26 Apr. 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.