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death rattle
noun
: a rattling or gurgling sound produced by air passing through mucus in the lungs and air passages of a dying person
Examples of death rattle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Despite warnings about its death rattles due to causes ranging from concussion violence to off-field misbehaviors, professional football keeps dragging everyone else down the field as the most reliable branding vehicle in America.
—Dale Buss, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
At other moments in history, however, the Biennale’s organizers took specific actions, such as the boycott of Pinochet’s Chile in 1974 or of Spain in 1976, during the death rattles of Franco’s regime.
—Manuel Borja-Villel, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2024
People who don’t know what someone’s snoring sounds like can mistake the death rattle for a sign that the person is sleeping peacefully, said Raville, of the Harm Reduction Action Center.
—Meg Wingerter, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024
For those looking to avoid the death rattle of stagnation, here are few thoughts.
—Sairah Ashman, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Even from a few miles away, the death rattle of another Ukrainian city echoed through the mist and fog.
—Marc Santora Tyler Hicks, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024
Laughter here doesn't sound too far off from a death rattle.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 10 Nov. 2023
The death rattle is Kathy Brandt’s. . . .
—The New Yorker, 23 June 2021
The pair surely also sense, thrumming well below their conscious hearing, the death rattle of their generation and the saber rattle of the coming revolution.
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 18 June 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'death rattle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1781, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near death rattle
Cite this Entry
“Death rattle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20rattle. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Medical Definition
death rattle
noun
: a rattling or gurgling sound produced by air passing through mucus in the lungs and air passages of a dying person
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