throes

IPA/θrəʊz/
KK[θrˈoz]IPA/θrəʊz/

throes — noun

1. the state of being deeply involved in a difficult, painful, or confusing activit

1.名詞C1
釋義

the state of being deeply involved in a difficult, painful, or confusing activity or situation, with no clear end in sight

例句

The bakery was in the <hl>throes of a financial crisis</hl> and could barely pay its staff.

in the throes of + noun phrase (financial crisis)

Linh spent the weekend in the <hl>throes of writing</hl> a university application essay.

in the throes of + verb-ing

同義詞
  • midst

    neutral, without the sense of struggle: 'in the midst of a meeting' simply states location

  • grip

    stronger implication of being trapped: 'in the grip of a recession'

  • thick of

    informal, suggesting active involvement: 'in the thick of the action'

文法句型

in the throes of [noun phrase]

in the throes of [verb-ing]

用法筆記

Almost always appears in the fixed construction 'in the throes of', followed by either a noun phrase (e.g. 'a crisis', 'an argument') or a verb in -ing form (e.g. 'writing', 'recovering'). The phrase cannot be broken up — you cannot say 'in throes of' without 'the'.

常見錯誤

❌The company is in throes of a change.
✅The company is in the throes of a change.
💡the definite article 'the' is required before 'throes'.
❌She was in the throes of a party.' (a party is not typically difficult or painful)
✅She was in the throes of exam preparation.
💡the phrase implies struggle, not just any activity.

2. the sharp, violent pains or muscle spasms that a person or animal suffers just b

2.名詞C1
釋義

the sharp, violent pains or muscle spasms that a person or animal suffers just before dying; by extension, the final desperate stage of something that is collapsing or failing

例句

The wounded deer's <hl>death throes</hl> were brief, and soon it lay completely still.

collocation: death throes

Evelyn's grandmother passed away peacefully in her sleep, without any painful <hl>death throes</hl>.

同義詞
  • convulsions

    more clinical, focuses on involuntary muscle contractions

  • agonies

    emphasises mental or physical suffering rather than spasms

  • spasms

    purely physical, without the emotional weight of 'throes'

文法句型

death throes

final throes

throes of [death / childbirth]

用法筆記

When used literally, the object is always a living creature. The figurative extension ('the final throes of a regime', 'the death throes of an industry') is common in journalistic writing. This sense does NOT overlap with sense 1 — 'death throes' refers to the pain itself, not to being in the middle of a difficult task.

常見錯誤

❌ 'The project is in its death throes' when you mean 'the project is in the throes of a crisis.' — 'death throes' means something is ending or dying, not that it is going through a difficult phase.

❌He went through terrible throes of flu.
✅He suffered terribly from the flu.
💡'throes' specifically refers to death or childbirth, not general illness.