death blow

noun

variants or deathblow

ˈdeth-ˌblō 

1

: a forcible stroke that kills a living thing : an act that ends the life of a person or animal

A gaping wound in the back of his head suggests the death blow was delivered by a halberd, a bladed pole weapon favored in the 15th century.

—Rachel Ehrenberg

… the tooth helps to dislocate the prey's neck vertebrae, the death blow most often dealt to small mammals and birds.

—Sarah A. Sloane

2

: an act or event that causes the end or failure of something

It shows how investors with risky business plans, unrealistic financial assumptions, and competing agendas can deliver a death blow to companies that otherwise could have survived.

—Emily Thornton

Nevis's fortunes declined after 1822, when the European sugar beet dealt a deathblow to the distant, inefficient cane mills of the Indies.

—Peter Theroux

Examples of death blow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The marine heat wave was just the final death blow. —Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2025

But the introduction and rapid adoption of mobile phones dealt a death blow to their usage—seemingly in the blink of an eye. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2025

Investors and researchers were shaken by that ruling, but not deterred, viewing it more as a hurdle than a death blow. —Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 18 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for death blow

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids Definition

deathblow

noun

death·​blow -ˌblō 

: a destructive or killing stroke or event