death throe

English[edit]

death throe (plural death throes)

(chiefly in the plural) Struggle that is followed by death.
(chiefly in the plural) The final movements or sounds, often erratic, of a living being as it dies.
Uncle Roger, in his death throes, made a sound and reached outward.
- 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
  One thing, however, was certain, the death throes ceased - at first I thought because he had got beyond them, and crossed the awful river.
(figurative, chiefly in the plural) The final actions or output of a machine or other object before it ceases to function.
As part of its death throes, the printer made a grinding sound and then never worked again.

struggle that is followed by death