1
: a vigil kept over the dead or dying
2
: the guard set over a criminal to be executed
Examples of deathwatch in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 29 June 2023
Enlarge Getty Images The EV charging plug deathwatch might need to be kicked into a higher gear.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 29 June 2023
Many other ecosystems are simply dying in place—von Brackel describes the sad plight of Terry Hughes, the Australian coral scientist whose career has become an extended deathwatch as the Great Barrier Reef, the earth’s largest living structure, repeatedly bleaches.
—Bill McKibben, The New York Review of Books, 21 Sep. 2022
Noun
Listing image by Warner Bros. Enlarge Getty Images The EV charging plug deathwatch might need to be kicked into a higher gear.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 29 June 2023
Enlarge Getty Images The EV charging plug deathwatch might need to be kicked into a higher gear.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 29 June 2023
Many other ecosystems are simply dying in place—von Brackel describes the sad plight of Terry Hughes, the Australian coral scientist whose career has become an extended deathwatch as the Great Barrier Reef, the earth’s largest living structure, repeatedly bleaches.
—Bill McKibben, The New York Review of Books, 21 Sep. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deathwatch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near deathwatch
Cite this Entry
“Deathwatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deathwatch. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deathwatch
1 of 2 noun
death·watch
ˈdeth-ˌwäch 
: a small insect (as a beetle) that makes a ticking sound
deathwatch
2 of 2 noun
: a watch kept over the dead or dying
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