throes
Britishplural noun
-
a condition of violent pangs, pain, or convulsions
death throes
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struggling with great effort with
a country in the throes of revolution
Explanation
Did your team just lose the Super Bowl or the World Series? You're probably in the throes of despair — experiencing intense feelings of suffering and agitation. Although we normally associate the throes of some emotion or physical sensation to be an unpleasant state, that's not always the case. Some throes teeter on the borderline between delight and despair. Check out Bernini's sculpture in Rome of St. Theresa in the throes of spiritual ecstasy. Is she terrified or thrilled? Impossible to separate the two. She's in the throes.
Vocabulary lists containing throes
A Spelling Bee for Fun
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 19–24
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "T"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Since then, only one Russian tanker has reached Cuba, which is in the throes of economic stagnation and supply shortages.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
Australia's army is in the throes of a major transformation, equipping itself with long-range firepower, drones and other modern combat tools.
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
This recounts the tragedy of a young man, Richard “Beebo” Russell, who in the throes of mental illness stole a plane and managed to take off into the Pacific Northwest.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
He now finds himself facing a daunting new challenge: Helming one of the country’s top law firms in its throes of an identity crisis.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
The lithium experiment was in the hands of a graduate student named Milton White, who now got his first exposure to Ernest Lawrence in the throes of a mania.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
