inquest

noun

Save Word

in·quest | \ ˈin-ˌkwest

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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About inquest

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 An inquest found Tuesday that King died by justifiable homicide, a finding his family has disputed. — Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 12 Jan. 2022 Chief Lowe, in a statement last week, stated that the Churna shooting will also be the subject of a coroner’s inquest. — Mike Carter, oregonlive, 28 Dec. 2021 During an official inquest weeks later, a soldier described the scene. — Thomas Curwen Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2021 The Norfolk coroner is currently conducting an inquest to determine if the hoard qualifies as treasure, reports Tessa Solomon for ARTnews. — David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Nov. 2021 The Sheriff’s Office will hold a coroner’s inquest later this month to present the facts of the incident before a jury, which is expected to draw a conclusion on the manner of death. — Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Aug. 2021 Until last year, the coroner’s office had not performed an inquest in more than three decades. — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2021 An inquest in the fatal deputy shooting of Fred Williams III similarly failed to shed new light on what happened. — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2021 Lovern made the same point last year, during an inquest into Williams' death. — Gina Barton, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2021

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.