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deathbed

[ deth-bed ]

/ ˈdɛθˌbɛd /

noun

the bed on which a person dies: The museum contains Lincoln's deathbed.

adjective

of, pertaining to, said, or done during the last few hours of a person's life: a deathbed confession.

Idioms for deathbed

on one's deathbed, in the last few hours before death.

Origin of deathbed

First recorded in 1350–1400, deathbed is from the Middle English word deethbed. See death, bed

Words nearby deathbed

death's-head, death's-head moth, death, be not proud, death-dealing, death-valley curve, deathbed, deathblow, deathday, deathful, deathless, deathlike

Example sentences from the Web for deathbed

Keopuolani converted on her deathbed in 1823, instructing her son Kamehameha II to protect the missionaries.

How Haoles Destroyed Hawaii |Wendy Smith |December 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
When he breaks down on camera it is while telling the story of a dying man who called him from his deathbed.

Sex, Suicide, and Homework: The Secret World of the Telephone Hotline |Tim Teeman |November 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Fenwick, by now in his late 70s, has amassed more than 2,000 accounts of what he calls “deathbed coincidences.”

Knocking on Heaven's Door: True Stories of Unexplained, Uncanny Experiences at the Hour of Death |Patricia Pearson |August 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Solness has much to regret, and yet, we meet him on his deathbed in this moment of deep, profound reflection.

Jonathan Demme on Gaza, Transphobia in ‘The Silence of the Lambs,’ and Meryl Streep as a Rock Star |Marlow Stern |July 25, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Context: The Casablanca star was a great lover of scotch and said this on his deathbed before falling victim to cancer.

Tupac’s ‘F*ck You’ to a Cop and the Best Last Words |Marlow Stern |May 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Yet you would not curse her now—were she lying here at your feet—or if you were standing by her deathbed?

Recreations of Christopher North, Volume I (of 2) |John Wilson
By his deathbed stood his aged mother and sister, who kept house for him.

The Duel |A. I. Kuprin
A deathbed is a matter of nerves and constitution, and not of religion.

Life of Lord Byron, Vol. IV |Thomas Moore
You wouldn't kneel down to pray for your mother on her deathbed when she asked you.

Ulysses |James Joyce
She bore his children and she laid pennies on his eyes to keep his eyelids closed when he lay on his deathbed.

Ulysses |James Joyce

British Dictionary definitions for deathbed

deathbed

/ (ˈdɛθˌbɛd) /

noun

the bed in which a person is about to die
(as modifier)a deathbed conversion

on one's deathbed about to die