medical examiner

noun

: a usually appointed public officer whose duties are similar to those of a coroner but who is typically required to have specific medical training (as in pathology) and is qualified to conduct medical examinations and autopsies

Examples of medical examiner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The medical examiner on Friday determined that the student died by suicide. —Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025

At press time a spokesperson for the medical examiner’s office had not returned Billboard‘s request for confirmation on the TMZ report. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2025

The company says the true rate of suicides on its Florida route is higher than government agencies report because of the variability in how local law-enforcement agencies and medical examiners make their determinations. —Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025

The local medical examiner’s office in Florida confirmed Tottleben’s fatal shooting to NBC News. —Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 22 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for medical examiner

• interlaminar
• laminar

Medical Definition

medical examiner

noun

1

: a usually appointed public officer with duties similar to those of a coroner but who is required to have specific medical training (as in pathology) and is qualified to conduct medical examinations and autopsies

2

: a physician employed to make medical examinations (as of applicants for military service or of claimants of workers' compensation)

3

: a physician appointed to examine and license candidates for the practice of medicine in a political jurisdiction (as a state)

Legal Definition

medical examiner

noun

med·​i·​cal examiner

: a public officer who determines the necessity of and conducts autopsies