in the throes

Idioms

In the midst of, especially of a difficult struggle. For example, The country was in the throes of economic collapse, or We were in the throes of giving a formal dinner when my in-laws arrived. The noun throe, meaning “a severe pang or spasm of pain,” was at first used mainly for such physical events as childbirth or dying. Today it is used both seriously (first example) and more lightly (second example). [Mid-1800s]

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.

In the throes of cognitive dissonance, I ignored the vow and fell in love with Renée.

From Los Angeles Times

As she points out, “the ability to continue moving through one’s life even in the throes of depression makes the anguish no less real.”

From The Wall Street Journal

That payout, the costliest of the period, stemmed from a March 2021 911 call for Isaias Cervantes, a deaf man who was in the throes of a mental health crisis.

From Los Angeles Times

Cuba is in the throes of its worst economic crisis in decades, marked by power outages of up to 20 hours a day and critical shortages of fuel, medicines and food.

From Barron's

Good for her for using her moment to point that out, the U.S. is in the throes of a terrible moment on immigrants, but no country is immune from the sentiment and I’m happy to hear a unified front on fixing this from artists everywhere.—A.B.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023