throes
Britishplural noun
-
a condition of violent pangs, pain, or convulsions
death throes
-
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.
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
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
In 1517 Martin Luther had posted his 95 Theses in Wittenberg, Germany, and by 1528 Basel, nearly 400 miles away, was in the throes of unrest.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
Mr. McDougall argues differently: European civilization hasn’t returned to life but merely eased and extended its death throes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
I didn't bother pointing out that Canada wasn't in the throes of a war or revolution.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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.
