coffin
gb/kˈɔfɪn/ us/kˈɔfɪn/
B1
English
~ 5800
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
entity
1
box for a dead body
A long box used to hold a dead person at a funeral, before burial or cremation.
Usage pattern:
a coffin for [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "coffin" with "casket". In American English, "casket" is often used instead of "coffin", especially by funeral homes, but in many varieties of English "coffin" is the standard word. Some learners also use "coffin" to refer to any container for a dead body, including an urn for ashes; an urn is not a coffin.
Synonyms
casket (More common in American English and in the funeral industry; sometimes sounds a little more formal or gentle.)
Antonyms
cradle (A cradle holds a baby at the start of life, while a coffin holds a body at the end of life; opposite in symbolic life stage.)
Collocations
wooden coffin
|open coffin
|closed coffin
|coffin lid
|carry the coffin
|coffin maker
Themes
death
|religion
|daily life
|health
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The family gathered around the coffin to say their final goodbyes.
- Six men carried the coffin out of the church and toward the grave.
- Her body lay in an open coffin during the viewing.
- The carpenter spent days crafting a simple wooden coffin.
- A black coffin was placed at the front of the hall for the memorial service.
Learner examples
- They put his body in a coffin.
- The coffin was made of dark wood.
- Four men carried the coffin to the car.
- Flowers were placed on top of the coffin.
- The coffin was taken to the cemetery.
Verb
literary
C1
action
2
put a body in a coffin
To put a dead person inside a coffin.
Usage pattern:
to coffin [someone]
Common mistake:
This verb is rare and mainly found in literary or formal writing. Learners usually do not need to use it and might think it is common in speech. In everyday English, people usually say "put the body in a coffin" or simply "prepare the body for burial" instead of using the verb "coffin."
Synonyms
entomb (More common and formal; often includes placing the coffin or body in a tomb, not just putting it in a coffin.)
Antonyms
exhume (Means to dig up and remove a buried body, reversing the process of placing it in a grave in a coffin.)
Collocations
coffined body
|to be coffined
|coffined remains
Themes
death
|religion
|health
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The undertaker coffined the body before the family arrived.
- The victims were quietly coffined and prepared for burial.
- Her remains were coffined and flown back to her home country.
Learner examples
- They coffined the body that evening.
- The soldiers were coffined and sent home.
- His body was coffined before the funeral.
- All the dead were coffined with care.
Grammar
Expressions
coffin nail
1/kˈɔfɪn nˈeɪl/
idiom
slang
slang term for a cigarette
A slang word for a cigarette, suggesting that smoking it will slowly kill you.
Examples
- He stepped outside for a quick coffin nail during the break.
- I'm trying to give up the coffin nails for good this year.
final nail in the coffin
1/fˈaɪnəl nˈeɪl ˈɪn ðə kˈɔfɪn/
idiom
last step that guarantees failure
The last problem or action that makes something sure to fail or end, when it was already in trouble before.
Examples
- The price increase was the final nail in the coffin for many loyal customers.
- Her resignation may be the final nail in the coffin for the project.
nail in the coffin
1/nˈeɪl ˈɪn ðə kˈɔfɪn/
idiom
action that ensures failure or end
Something that makes another thing sure to fail or end, especially after other bad things have already happened.
Examples
- The scandal was the final nail in the coffin of his political career.
- Losing their main sponsor could be a nail in the coffin for the small football club.