at death's door
See also: at Death's door
English
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Prepositional phrase
edit- (idiomatic) About to die; in a life-threatening state of health.
- Synonyms: knocking on heaven's door, on one's deathbed
- 1828 May 15, [Walter Scott], chapter IX, in Chronicles of the Canongate. Second Series. […] (The Fair Maid of Perth), volume III, Edinburgh: […] [Ballantyne and Co.] for Cadell and Co.; London: Simpkin and Marshall, →OCLC, page 235:
- The minstrel woman who left the Castle yesterday has spread the report everywhere, that the Duke of Rothsay is murdered, or at death's door.
- 1913 August, Jack London, chapter XXXII, in John Barleycorn, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC, page 290:
- One of my Polynesian sailors lay at death's door with blackwater fever.
- 2008 June 29, Josh Quittner, “Bill Gates: PC Genius, Internet Fool”, in Time:
- Clearly, a business with $26 billion in cash reserves isn't exactly at death's door.
Translations
editabout to die