Phrase guide

death rattle

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The raspy or gurgling sound sometimes made by a person while drawing in or expelling their final breaths before dying.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Activity by an entity (such as an individual, business or ideology) perceived as almost finished, especially if this activity appears weak or futile.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The sound of a batsman’s stumps being broken, so called because this leads to the batsman’s dismissal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

Topics: ball-games, cricket, games, hobbies, lifestyle, sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

25 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: ranera de la mort — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Cornish: ronk mernans — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Finnish: kuolinkorina — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Galician: boqueadas — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • German: Rasselatmung — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • German: präfinales Rasseln — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • German: Todesrasseln — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Greek: επιθανάτιος ρόγχος (epithanátios rónchos) — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Hungarian: halálhörgés — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Ido: stertoro — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Italian: rantolo della morte — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Latin: singultus — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Maltese: ħurħara tal-mewt — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Māori: whawharo — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Māori: tuamatangi — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Norwegian Bokmål: agonal respirasjon — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Norwegian Bokmål: døende resipirasjon — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Polish: rzężenie — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Portuguese: estertor — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Portuguese: vasca — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Serbo-Croatian: самртни хропац — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Serbo-Croatian: samrtni hropac — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Spanish: estertor — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Spanish: anhélito — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person
  • Swedish: dödsrossling — Gurgling sound sometimes made by a dying person