death blow
noun
variants
or deathblow
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
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
Sarah A. Sloane2
: 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
Emily ThorntonNevis's fortunes declined after 1822, when the European sugar beet dealt a deathblow to the distant, inefficient cane mills of the Indies.—Peter Theroux
Peter TherouxExamples of death blow in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
After a week of Israeli attacks that took out Iran’s air defense systems, crippled its military command, and dealt damage to its nuclear program, Trump delivered what was intended to be the death blow.
—The Editors, National Review, 22 June 2025
Faced with a similar choice of accepting a defeat that might have dealt a death blow to their Champions League qualification hopes or fighting back, Chelsea again picked the latter option.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
Now, Wild fans must hope that Barbashev’s goal, which evened this best-of-seven first-round series and turned it into a best-of-three, wasn’t the turning point toward the latest Wild playoff death blow.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
From beef-ending Drake diss song to Record of the Year: Kendrick Lamar’s anthem, the death blow in a summer-long musical feud with his Canadian counterpart, won the rapper his first Record of the Year award at the 2025 Grammys.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 2 Feb. 2025
The flip side to that is that an upset loss to either would be a death blow.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 26 Feb. 2025
The all-encompassing figure for loss reflects the reality faced by those like Christine D., for whom the destruction of her home was a financial death blow to a way of life.
—Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2025
Resorting to unilateral military strikes against the cartels would constitute a death blow to cooperative law enforcement efforts between the United States and Mexico.
—Vanda Felbab-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 17 Feb. 2025
And that, unfortunately, could lead to higher prices, layoffs, and ultimately be a death blow for some small distilleries.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 14 Feb. 2025
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The Editors, National Review, 22 June 2025
Faced with a similar choice of accepting a defeat that might have dealt a death blow to their Champions League qualification hopes or fighting back, Chelsea again picked the latter option.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
Now, Wild fans must hope that Barbashev’s goal, which evened this best-of-seven first-round series and turned it into a best-of-three, wasn’t the turning point toward the latest Wild playoff death blow.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
From beef-ending Drake diss song to Record of the Year: Kendrick Lamar’s anthem, the death blow in a summer-long musical feud with his Canadian counterpart, won the rapper his first Record of the Year award at the 2025 Grammys.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 2 Feb. 2025
The flip side to that is that an upset loss to either would be a death blow.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 26 Feb. 2025
The all-encompassing figure for loss reflects the reality faced by those like Christine D., for whom the destruction of her home was a financial death blow to a way of life.
—Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2025
Resorting to unilateral military strikes against the cartels would constitute a death blow to cooperative law enforcement efforts between the United States and Mexico.
—Vanda Felbab-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 17 Feb. 2025
And that, unfortunately, could lead to higher prices, layoffs, and ultimately be a death blow for some small distilleries.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 14 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Death blow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20blow. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deathblow
noun
death·blow
-ˌblō 
: a destructive or killing stroke or event
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