throe

American  

[throh] / θroʊ /

noun

1. a violent spasm or pang; paroxysm.

2. a sharp attack of emotion.

3. throes,

   1. any violent convulsion or struggle.

      the throes of battle.

   2. the agony of death.

   3. the pains of childbirth.

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throe British  

/ θrəʊ /

noun

1. rare a pang or pain

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throe Idioms  

1. see in the throes.

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Usage

What does throe mean? The word throe refers to a pain, pang, or spasm, but it is very rarely used. It is almost exclusively used in the plural form throes, which refers to a state or condition of pain or violent convulsions, spasms, or pangs. Throes is especially associated with situations involving physical or emotional pain or agony, as in the throes of childbirth or the throes of grief. It can also be used in the context of a situation that’s an intense struggle, as in the throes of creation or the throes of revolution. The phrase death throes can refer to the agony of dying or it can be used metaphorically to refer to the final stages of something, as in The terrible reviews of his latest book represent the death throes of his career. The word throes is commonly used in the phrase in the throes of, meaning in the midst of something intense, especially a painful situation, a struggle, or a crisis, as in We were in the throes of battle when the reinforcements arrived. It can also be used in less serious situations, as in We were in the throes of a movie marathon when the power went out. Example: When I’m in the throes of the flu, I barely have the energy to get out of bed.

Etymology

Origin of throe

1150–1200; Middle English throwe, alteration of thrawe ( -o- from Old English thrōwian to suffer, be in pain), Old English thrawu; cognate with Old Norse thrā (in līkthrā leprosy)

Example Sentences

That broken stair, wonky lock, furnace that’s making death throe noises: Remedy problems before tenants move in.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 2, 2023

Ryan Harris found reserves where none seemed to exist to ruffle Pietersen's feathers with consecutive bouncers, and in the same over dismissed Cook, but it proved to be a throe, not a resurgence.

From The Guardian • Dec. 5, 2010

With his customary sense of apocalyptic drama, he declares that "the country was in a throe, a species of eschatological heave."

From Time Magazine Archive

Thus it suggests that society is a prison of the spirit and freedom is the death throe of society: suicidal anarchy.

From Time Magazine Archive

A pang of exquisite suffering—a throe of true despair—rent and heaved my heart.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Related Words

• agony