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

Osbourne died at Harefield Hospital in west London of a cardiac arrest, per his death certificate. —Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025

The singer died from cardiac arrest, acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease, according to the death certificate obtained by Fox News Digital. —Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025

The team did not provide a cause of death, while a death certificate later obtained by media outlets said Irsay died from heart issues and complications due to pneumonia. —Sean Neumann, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025

His death certificate lists septic shock as cause of death. —Jessica Van Egeren, jsonline.com, 28 Aug. 2025

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.