deathbed

American  

[deth-bed] / ˈdɛθˌbɛd /

noun

• deathbeds
  plural

1. the bed on which a person dies.

   The museum contains Lincoln's deathbed.

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adjective

1. of, pertaining to, said, or done during the last few hours of a person's life.

   a deathbed confession.

idioms

1. on one's deathbed, in the last few hours before death.

deathbed British  

/ ˈdɛθˌbɛd /

noun

1. 1. the bed in which a person is about to die

   2. ( as modifier )

      a deathbed conversion

2. about to die

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• deathbeds
  plural

Etymology

Origin of deathbed

First recorded in 1350–1400, deathbed is from the Middle English word deethbed. See death, bed

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deathbed deathbeds

"Imagine you're on your deathbed, think about what you would have done differently and do that," she says.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

When mother and son sing songs from the famous cycle by Bengali writer-composer and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore or hold a deathbed conversation in Bangla, the piece spins further across time and space.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

The court was shown a 17-minute video shot by forensic police of Maradona on his deathbed, wearing a pair of football shorts and a black t-shirt pulled up to reveal a cavernous stomach.

From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026

Opening on an already wild scene where the family members are bickering at the hospital deathbed of Linda’s mother, the events of “Big Mistakes” escalate quickly and considerably.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026

What happened, while Granny was on her deathbed, Mama got up a black outfit for Mary Toy to wear to the funeral—black taffeta dress, black stockings, black slippers, and a little black bonnet.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

The first occurred on July 4, 1826, when the last members of a generation of fiery patriots lay on their deathbeds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

“Why is ICE choosing to release people from custody who are on their deathbeds while they’re hospitalized?” said Eunice Cho, an attorney at the ACLU.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2022

At the time, social contact was limited to a bare minimum and many people were furious that they had been unable to visit loved ones on their deathbeds or attend funerals.

From Reuters ● Jan. 13, 2022

It seems that the only time any of them change their minds is when they are on their own deathbeds and it's too late.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2021

Haven't I just learnt that secret weddings of high people can happen at expected deathbeds by special licence, as well as low people at registrars' offices?

From The Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid by Thomas Hardy