at death's door
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
On the point of death; very dangerously ill. Black death. See BLACK.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “at death's door” mean?
On the point of death; very dangerously ill. Black death. See BLACK.
Is “at death's door” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.