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

President-elect Donald Trump delivered a likely death blow to bipartisan congressional budget negotiations, rejecting the measure as full of giveaways to Democrats after billionaire ally Elon Musk whipped up outrage toward the bill and cheered on Republican lawmakers who announced their opposition. —CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024

Millions voted in the country’s first democratic elections, seemingly delivering a death blow to apartheid. —John Eligon, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2024

That buzzer-beater was most likely the death blow to this series. —Jovan Buha, The Athletic, 23 Apr. 2024

And the victims of Pompeii adapted what’s called a ‘pugilistic pose’ — a defensive crouch essentially preparing for the death blow. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 5 Nov. 2024

That’s because, no matter who wins, a new 50 percent tariff could be imposed on American whiskey exports, which could mean real hardship for some distilleries and a death blow to others. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2024

Overall, though, the decision amounts to more of a delay than a death blow to psychedelic therapy. —Oshan Jarow, Vox, 9 Aug. 2024

But another battle scar may have dealt a death blow. —New Atlas, 19 July 2024

And never before has a national candidate taken what would have otherwise been a death blow and embraced it as a political asset. —Susan Page, USA TODAY, 15 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

deathblow

noun

death·​blow -ˌblō 

: a destructive or killing stroke or event