Meanings
plural deathblows · alternative death blow
- A strike or blow that leads to death, especially a coup de grâce.
He was also there at that fight when Hygelac folded under his deathblow.
1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 411 more example
Together we will finally strike a deathblow against the corrupt, bloated creature that is the so-called Republic.
2002, Rom Marz, Ted Naifeh, Star Wars: Zam Wessel, →ISBN, page 18Synonyms: another nail in one's coffin
- figurativelySomething that prevents the completion, or ends the existence, of a project etc.; a fatal setback.
The opening of the bridge dealt a deathblow to the ferry.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA strike or blow that leads to death, especially a coup de grâce.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Esperanto bato de morto, finofara bato
- bato de mortostrike or blow
- finofara batosomething that prevents the completion, or ends the existence of some project etc
Finnish armonisku, kuolinisku
- armoniskustrike or blow
- kuoliniskustrike or blow
- kuoliniskusomething that prevents the completion, or ends the existence of some project etc
- armoniskusomething that prevents the completion, or ends the existence of some project etc
French coup m fatal, coup de grâce
- coup m fatalstrike or blow
- coup de grâcestrike or blow
- coup m fatalsomething that prevents the completion, or ends the existence of some project etc
German Todesstoß, Todesstoß
- Todesstoßstrike or blow
- Todesstoßsomething that prevents the completion, or ends the existence of some project etc
Norwegian Bokmål banehugg
- banehuggstrike or blow
Polish śmiertelny cios
- śmiertelny ciosstrike or blow
Russian смерте́льный уда́р
- смерте́льный уда́р (smertélʹnyj udár)strike or blow
Spanish estocada
- estocadasomething that prevents the completion, or ends the existence of some project etc
Swahili pigo la kifo
- pigo la kifostrike or blow
Swedish dödsstöt
- dödsstötsomething that prevents the completion, or ends the existence of some project etc
Cite this entry
deathblow. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deathblow
“deathblow.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deathblow. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “deathblow,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deathblow.
Source: deathblow on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.