at death's door

Idioms  

1. On the point of dying, very ill, as in Whenever she had a bad cold she acted as though she were at death's door. The association of death with an entry way was first made in English in the late 1300s, and the phrase itself dates from the mid-1500s. Today it is often used as an exaggeration of ill health.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

at death's door

He says he is unable to stand or walk, and "is at death's door".

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2025

The movies have ostensibly been at death’s door at least since the shift to sync sound, which isn’t to undersell the industry’s business woes.

From New York Times ● Dec. 1, 2023

They want to let patients like Zurawski obtain lifesaving care before they are actually at death’s door.

From Slate ● Mar. 7, 2023

There was something different happening here: the ex-con at death’s door coming clean with his regrets.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 8, 2021

Rumors had appeared in newspapers that I was at death’s door and she had become quite concerned.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• decaying
• doomed
• fading
• moribund