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 episode put him into a coma and led to irreversible heart failure, Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, the head of the Vatican’s health department, said in a death certificate released Monday. —David Matthews, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2025

The Los Angeles County Department of Health released the actor's death certificate Thursday. —Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025

Over a week since his family confirmed the actor’s death at age 65 on April 1, Kilmer's official cause of death has been ruled as pneumonia according to a death certificate obtained by and reviewed by PEOPLE. —Bailey Richards, People.com, 10 Apr. 2025

Harford, 34, initially faced a total of 12 counts, including abuse of a corpse, forgery of a death certificate, and theft. —Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 15 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.