Standard Lemma guide

deathblow

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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈdɛθbləʊ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A strike or blow that leads to death, especially a coup de grâce.

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

Something that prevents the completion, or ends the existence, of a project etc.; a fatal setback.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • The opening of the bridge dealt a deathblow to the ferry.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the blow that kills (usually mercifully)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: coup de grace

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: killing, kill, putting to death

History

Etymology

From death + blow.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Esperanto: bato de morto — strike or blow
  • Finnish: armonisku — strike or blow
  • Finnish: kuolinisku — strike or blow
  • French: coup m fatal — strike or blow
  • French: coup de grâce — strike or blow
  • German: Todesstoß — strike or blow
  • Norwegian Bokmål: banehugg — strike or blow
  • Old English: dēaþsleġe — strike or blow
  • Polish: śmiertelny cios — strike or blow
  • Russian: смерте́льный уда́р (smertélʹnyj udár) — strike or blow
  • Swahili: pigo la kifo — strike or blow
  • Finnish: kuolinisku — something that prevents the completion, or ends the existence of some project etc
  • Finnish: armonisku — something that prevents the completion, or ends the existence of some project etc
  • French: coup m fatal — something that prevents the completion, or ends the existence of some project etc
  • German: Todesstoß — something that prevents the completion, or ends the existence of some project etc
  • Spanish: estocada — something that prevents the completion, or ends the existence of some project etc
  • Swedish: dödsstöt — something that prevents the completion, or ends the existence of some project etc