coffin

1 of 2

noun

cof·​fin ˈkȯ-fən How to pronounce coffin (audio)
Synonyms of coffinnext
: a box or chest for burying a corpse compare casket

coffin

2 of 2

verb

coffined; coffining; coffins

transitive verb

: to enclose in or as if in a coffin

Synonyms of coffin

Relevance

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of coffin in a Sentence

Noun coffins are said to be the preferred sleeping places of vampires
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
In Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood, a rare mass funeral procession wound past markets and apartments as 112 coffins from two extended families were carried to burial. — Bilal Shbeir, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026 On Tuesday, the bodies lay in white coffins at a church in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city, before their burial. — ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026 Hansard’s body is lying in repose in a wicker coffin at the Baroque Chapel at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Kilmainham, Dublin until later today. — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 3 Aug. 2026 Hansard lay in repose in a wicker coffin inside the Baroque Chapel at IMMA in Kilmainham, where fans queued throughout the day to honor the musician. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for coffin

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English cofyn, coffyn "basket, hamper" (in translations from Latin), "chest, box," borrowed from Anglo-French cofin, coffin "basket, chest, container," borrowed from Latin cophinus "large basket, hamper," borrowed from Greek kóphinos "large basket," of pre-Greek substratal origin

Verb

derivative of coffin entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1525, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1564, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of coffin was in 1525

Phrases Containing coffin

Rhymes for coffin

See All Rhymes for coffin

Browse Nearby Words

cofferfish
coffin
coffin bone
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Coffin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coffin. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

coffin

noun
cof·​fin
ˈkȯ-fən
: a box or case to hold a dead body

More from Merriam-Webster on coffin

Nglish: Translation of coffin for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about coffin

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of anecdote

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All