inquest

noun in·quest \ ˈin-ˌkwest \

Definition of inquest

1 a :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

See inquest defined for English-language learners

See inquest defined for kids

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 of inquest from the Web

The lawsuit came 3 months after an inquest jury recommended seven people involved in Thomas' detention be charged with crimes and while District Attorney John Chisholm continues to weigh that decision.

— don behm, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Male inmate died late Tuesday at Milwaukee County Jail medical clinic," 30 Aug. 2017
The jury at the 2008 inquests into the deaths of Diana and Fayed found the paparazzi to be a contributing factor in those deaths.

— megan garber, The Atlantic, "The Enduring Fictions of Princess Diana," 24 Aug. 2017
Rose, who has not played since January after picking up an injury, will surely have triggered an inquest into how Spurs will manage to keep their star performers happy whilst maintaining their £100k-a-week wage cap.

— SI.com, "Gary Neville Slams Danny Rose After Tottenham Man's Questionable Exit Comments," 10 Aug. 2017
Over the past two decades, despite an official inquest into Diana’s death in Paris which ruled the fatal car crash that killed her was an accident, the conspiracy theories have never really gone away.

— vanityfair.com, "With the New Documentary About Princess Diana, William and Harry Take Charge of Their Mother’s Legacy," 24 July 2017
Over the past two decades, despite an official inquest into Diana’s death in Paris which ruled the fatal car crash that killed her was an accident, the conspiracy theories have never really gone away.

— katie nicholl, Vanities, "With the New Documentary About Princess Diana, William and Harry Take Charge of Their Mother’s Legacy," 24 July 2017
Urquhart and Satterberg noted that there will be an inquest in King County District Court, which is typical after a shooting involving law enforcement.

— paige cornwell, The Seattle Times, "Brother of Burien deputy-shooting victim Tommy Le: ‘He wanted to make a positive change in the world”," 19 July 2017
Dickerson and Oeser, the adult counselors, had their departure from Banff delayed until an official inquest there four days after the deaths.

— craig r. mccoy / staff writer, Philly.com, "Horror on the mountain," 12 July 2017
The decision, which comes 28 years after the tragedy, follows last year's inquests which found that those who died were unlawfully killed.

— alex thomas and james masters, CNN, "Six face charges over Hillsborough football stadium disaster," 29 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of inquest

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

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First Known Use: 13th century

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inquest Synonyms

Synonyms

delving, disquisition, examen, examination, exploration, inquiry, inquisition, investigation, probation, probe, probing, research, study

INQUEST Defined for English Language Learners

inquest

noun

Definition of inquest for English Language Learners

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

INQUEST Defined for Kids

inquest

noun in·quest \ ˈin-ˌkwest \

Definition of inquest for Students

:an official investigation especially into the cause of a death

Medical Dictionary

inquest

noun in·quest \ ˈin-ˌkwest \

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

Law Dictionary

inquest

noun in·quest \ ˈin-ˌkwest \

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

Origin and Etymology of inquest

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

Learn More about inquest

See words that rhyme with inquest Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for 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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