Suffering; spec. the suffering of death. Esp. with reference to the Passion of Christ.

In singular or (now usually) plural. Intense or violent pain and struggle accompanying death; the agony of death. Also figurative and in…

An intense spasm of pain experienced immediately prior to death; (also in plural) the agony or struggle of death. Cf. death throe, n.

figurative. Conflict with death, death-struggle, esp. in hard stour, death-stour, bale-stour (see bale, n.1 compounds). Obsolete.

fatal struggle, death-throe.

The action of gasp, v. (in various senses).

The convulsive throes or pangs of death; the death struggle. Usually with adjective or of indicating the circumstance. Also figurative and in…

(one's) last gasp: the final attempt to draw breath before dying. at the last gasp: at the point of death; in later use frequently figurative; cf…

an animal's death throes; spec. (Whaling) the convulsive struggling of a dying harpooned whale (see flurry, n. 2b); also figurative.