death-rattle

Noun

death rattle (plural death rattles)

1. The raspy or gurgling sound sometimes made by a person while drawing in or expelling their final breaths before dying.
   • The death-rattle gurgled in the throat of his opponent; his arms fell heavily to his side.1840, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 14, in Catherine: A Story
2. (idiomatic) Activity by an entity (such as an individual, business or ideology) perceived as almost finished, especially if this activity appears weak or futile.
   • There is, however, an alternative view of this bleak period in transit's history. It is our thesis that the crisis is both the death rattle of outdated institutions for delivering transportation service and the painful birth of many new delivery systems.1982, Built Environment
3. (broadly) The sound of a batsman’s stumps being broken, so called because this leads to the batsman’s dismissal.