Forensic is used to describe the work of scientists who examine evidence in order to help the police solve crimes.
They were convicted on forensic evidence alone.
Forensic experts searched the area for clues.
...the use of genetic data for forensic science.
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Forensic means relating to the legal profession.
He won admiration for his forensic skills in cross-examining ministers.
...a forensic psychiatrist.
3. uncountable noun
Forensics is the use of scientific techniques to solve crimes.
...the newest advances in forensics.
...federal forensics legislation.
forensic in British English
(fəˈrɛnsɪk)
adjective
relating to, used in, or connected with a court of law
forensic science
Derived forms
forensicality (fəˌrɛnsɪˈkælɪtɪ)
noun
forensically (foˈrensically)
adverb
Word origin
C17: from Latin forēnsis public, from forum
forensic in American English
(fəˈrɛnsɪk; fəˈrɛnzɪk)
adjective
1.
of, characteristic of, or suitable for a law court, public debate, or formal argumentation
2.
specializing in or having to do with the application of scientific, esp. medical, knowledge to legal matters, as in the investigation of crime
noun [pl., with sing. v.]
3.
debate or formal argumentation
4.
the use of knowledge and techniques derived from various sciences, as ballistics and medicine, in the investigation of crime
Derived forms
forensically (foˈrensically)
adverb
Word origin
< L forensis, public < forum (see forum) + adj. suffix -ensis + -ic
Examples of 'forensic' in a sentence
forensic
Forensic experts spent yesterday continuing to scour the flat for clues.
The Sun (2016)
Then why would you study forensic science?
The Sun (2016)
No forensic evidence linked the men to the murder.
The Sun (2017)
Only a handful of crew were interviewed, there was no forensic examination of the scene and no inquest.
The Sun (2016)
Many police and forensic teams.
The Sun (2016)
So what had happened in the world of forensic science since then?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The background for justification is distinctly legal or forensic.
Christianity Today (2000)
They would hope that any fresh forensic evidence would still be available.
The Sun (2011)
The rest was spent in forensic examination of the roads around their house.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Police sealed off the room while forensic teams carried out a full examination.
The Sun (2009)
The house was sealed off and forensic experts combed it for clues.
The Sun (2016)
Forensic science had drawn a complete blank.
Deborah Cadbury THE LOST KING OF FRANCE: Revolution, Revenge and the Search for Louis XVII (2002)
The value of forensic testing of evidence soon became clear.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The cab was lifted on to a vehicle carrier and taken away for forensic examinations.
The Sun (2011)
Police and soldiers stood guard as forensic teams collected them.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The forensic science evidence will be fiercely contested as each side argues its case.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Officers or forensic teams are also nearly always sent to the scenes of domestic burglaries.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Police erected a tent over the drive as forensic experts examined a second bin.
The Sun (2009)
The blaze was so intense that police have struggled to find useful forensic evidence.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The row of shops remained sealed off for much of the day as forensic science officers carried out investigations.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The mystery was unlikely to be resolved unless there was some new evidence or an unexpected advance in forensic science.
Deborah Cadbury THE LOST KING OF FRANCE: Revolution, Revenge and the Search for Louis XVII (2002)
In other languages
forensic
British English: forensic ADJECTIVE
Forensic is used to describe the work of scientists who examine evidence in order to help the police solve crimes.
They were convicted on forensic evidence alone.
American English: forensic
Brazilian Portuguese: forense
Chinese: 法庭科学取证的
European Spanish: forense
French: médicolégal
German: forensisch
Italian: scientifico
Japanese: 犯罪科学の
Korean: 법의학의
European Portuguese: forense
Latin American Spanish: forense
All related terms of 'forensic'
forensic expert
an expert in applying scientific , technical or medical knowledge to the purposes of law
forensic chemistry
the application of facts concerning chemistry to questions of civil and criminal law
forensic evidence
evidence obtained by the use of science, for example DNA evidence, etc
forensic medicine
the applied use of medical knowledge or practice, esp pathology , to the purposes of the law, as in determining the cause of death
forensic science
the collection of several fields of science to the purposes of law
forensic scientist
a specialist in a field of science who applies their knowledge to the purposes of law
forensic accountant
an accountant who specializes in applying accountancy skills to the purposes of the law
forensic anthropology
the branch of physical anthropology in which anthropological data , criteria , and techniques are used to determine the sex , age, genetic population , or parentage of skeletal or biological materials in questions of civil or criminal law
forensic psychiatry
the use of psychiatric knowledge and techniques in questions of law, as in determining legal insanity
forensics expert
an expert in applying scientific , technical or medical knowledge to the purposes of law
legal medicine
the applied use of medical knowledge or practice, esp pathology , to the purposes of the law, as in determining the cause of death