medical examiner

noun

1. a physician or other person trained in medicine who is appointed by a city, county, or the like, to perform autopsies on the bodies of persons supposed to have died from unnatural causes and to investigate the cause and circumstances of such deaths.

2. a physician retained by an insurance company, industrial firm, or the like, to give medical examinations to its clients or employees.

medical examiner

noun

1. a medical expert, usually a physician, employed by a state or local government to determine the cause of sudden death in cases of suspected violence, suicide, etc Compare coroner

2. a physician who carries out medical examinations

Word History and Origins

Origin of medical examiner¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

By about noon, the Fire Department had handed over the investigation to the medical examiner and the Los Angeles Police Department.

From Los Angeles Times

The remains of the man, who has not been identified, are with the Washoe County regional medical examiner’s office.

From Los Angeles Times

A local medical examiner's office later confirmed his death.

From BBC

According to the county medical examiner, 19 people died in the Eaton fire and 12 people were killed in the Palisades fire.

From Los Angeles Times

Adams told CNN that the city’s medical examiner would make the call on whether to test the gunman for CTE, which can only be diagnosed after death by examining brain tissue.

From Salon