in the throes

Idioms  

1. In the midst of, especially of a difficult struggle. For example, The country was in the throes of economic collapse, or We were in the throes of giving a formal dinner when my in-laws arrived. The noun throe, meaning “a severe pang or spasm of pain,” was at first used mainly for such physical events as childbirth or dying. Today it is used both seriously (first example) and more lightly (second example). [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

It conjures a raucous, anachronistic world perpetually in the throes of breakdown.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

But by the time she became a mother, Cuba was in the throes of an economic crisis triggered by the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, its main trading partner and benefactor.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

Cuba is in the throes of its worst economic crisis in decades, marked by power outages of up to 20 hours a day and critical shortages of fuel, medicines and food.

From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026

OpenAI is in the throes of a fundraising campaign that could take place for much of this year, in what could be a pre-IPO round.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

My parents were in the throes of a nervous breakdown, and I had driven them to the edge of insanity.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi