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 Oscar-winning An Officer and a Gentleman star died at age 87 in Santa Monica, Calif., on March 29, due to the lung condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, according to a death certificate. —Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024

The cause of death on his official death certificate from the El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency, which was reviewed by ABC News, is listed as encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels) in connection with the varicella-zoster virus. —Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 26 Jan. 2024

On Tuesday, the Senate is set to discuss Senate Bill 17 (which includes tweaks to Kentucky's death certificate process) and Senate Bill 24 (which would limit the number of Medicaid organizations contracted by the state to three or fewer). —Rebecca Grapevine, The Courier-Journal, 13 Jan. 2024

In Indiana, the gestational age at which a fetus would receive a death certificate is 20 weeks. —The Indianapolis Star, 7 Jan. 2024

The 60-year-old actor — best known for his roles in The Wire, Bosch, Netflix's Resident Evil — died of ischemic heart disease and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, per his death certificate obtained by PEOPLE. —Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024

According to his death certificate obtained by The Blast, the comedian died at the age of 76 from cardiac arrest on Feb. 27 at his Los Angeles home. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 4 Mar. 2024

The manner of Mitchell’s death was ruled a homicide, according to his death certificate. —Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024

Billy Kelley said the coroner’s office told him that in order to get a death certificate and claim his brother’s body, the family would have to pay $500. —Jon Schuppe, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2024

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.