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inquest

noun
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in·​quest | \ ˈin-ˌkwest How to pronounce inquest (audio) \

Definition of inquest

1a : a judicial or official inquiry or examination especially before a jury a coroner's inquest
b : a body of people (such as a jury) assembled to hold such an inquiry
c : the finding of the jury upon such inquiry or the document recording it
2 : inquiry, investigation
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Examples of inquest in a Sentence

The court has ordered an inquest into his death. the police conducted an inquest into the case
Recent Examples on the Web Testimony at the inquest revealed that on the day of his murder, Sturgus had left his billy club, handcuffs, money and identification at home. — David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, "Who killed Anchorage’s first police chief? Nearly 100 years later, it’s still a mystery.," 13 Jan. 2020 During the coroner’s inquest, Mundipharma sent a staffer to court to testify about the benefits of naloxone nasal spray. — Kristen Gelineau, The Denver Post, "Purdue Pharma’s foreign affiliate now selling overdose cure," 15 Dec. 2019 An inquest found the Chicago police shootings justifiable. — Robert Higgs, cleveland, "Cleveland to close some West Side streets for filming movie on controversial death of Black Panther figure," 12 Dec. 2019 The jury's findings at the 2016 Hillsborough inquest included: -- The 96 Liverpool fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster were unlawfully killed, jurors concluded by a 7-2 majority. — Matias Grez, CNN, "Anguish of Hillsborough families continues," 29 Nov. 2019 During the coroner's inquest, Mundipharma sent a staffer to court to testify about the benefits of naloxone nasal spray. — Anchorage Daily News, "Sackler-owned opioid maker pushes overdose treatment abroad," 16 Dec. 2019 During the coroner's inquest, Mundipharma sent a staffer to court to testify about the benefits of naloxone nasal spray. — Arkansas Online, "Purdue Pharma’s foreign affiliate now selling overdose cure," 15 Dec. 2019 What began as an inquest into the trafficking of marijuana in the county revealed over 240 pounds of marijuana, 74 grams of THC oil and 20 grams of cocaine for a combined street value of over $500,000. — Claire Goodman, Houston Chronicle, "Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office sting operation leads to major drug bust," 14 Dec. 2019 The precise circumstances of the killing were unclear, with only a single distant dash camera video played at a county coroner’s inquest. — Evan Sernoffsky, SFChronicle.com, "New questions after videos show police shoot fleeing suspects in 2 California cities," 6 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inquest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of inquest

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for inquest

Middle English, from Anglo-French enqueste, from Vulgar Latin *inquaesta, feminine of *inquaestus, past participle of *inquaerere to inquire

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Time Traveler for inquest

Time Traveler

The first known use of inquest was in the 13th century

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Statistics for inquest

Last Updated

20 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Inquest.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inquest. Accessed 23 January 2020.

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More Definitions for inquest

inquest

noun
How to pronounce inquest (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of inquest

law : an official investigation to find the reason for something (such as a person's death)

See the full definition for inquest in the English Language Learners Dictionary

inquest

noun
in·​quest | \ ˈin-ˌkwest How to pronounce inquest (audio) \

Kids Definition of inquest

: an official investigation especially into the cause of a death

inquest

noun
in·​quest | \ ˈin-ˌkwest How to pronounce inquest (audio) \

Medical Definition of inquest

: a judicial or official inquiry especially before a jury to determine the cause of a violent or unexpected death a coroner's inquest

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inquest

noun
in·​quest | \ ˈin-ˌkwest How to pronounce inquest (audio) \

Legal Definition of inquest

1 : a judicial or official inquiry or examination often before a jury a coroner's inquest — compare trial
2 : a body of people (as a jury) assembled to hold a judicial or official inquiry also : the finding of such an inquiry or the document recording it

History and Etymology for inquest

Anglo-French enqueste, from Old French, ultimately from Latin inquirere to ask about, from in- within, into + quaerere to seek

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More from Merriam-Webster on inquest

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for inquest

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with inquest

Spanish Central: Translation of inquest

Nglish: Translation of inquest for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of inquest for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about inquest

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