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

“Thomas Jefferson survives” were the last words of John Adams, spoken on his deathbed in Quincy, Mass. on July 4, 1826, the Declaration’s 50th anniversary.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 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 renal cancer he had first been diagnosed with in 2010 returned in 2022, and "I had to get this finished before I was on my deathbed," he said.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 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

February 11, 1950 Querido Gustavo, Even on her deathbed, Berta Arango del Pino cursed me.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

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

Perhaps we are bored of sharing stories of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients pleading from their deathbeds for others to learn from their mistakes.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2021

An Indian Christian doctor, practising in one of our Hindu towns, told me that he could not speak of what he had seen and heard at the deathbeds of some of his patients.

From Things as They Are Mission Work in Southern India by Carmichael, Amy