death throe

plural death throes

1. in pluralStruggle that is followed by death.
2. in pluralThe final movements or sounds, often erratic, of a living being as it dies.

   In her death throes, she made a sound and reached outward.

   1 more example

   One thing, however, was certain, the death throes ceased - at first I thought because he had got beyond them, and crossed the awful river.

   1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC

3. figurativelyin pluralThe final actions or output of a machine or other object before it ceases to function.

   As part of its death throes, the printer made a grinding sound and then never worked again.