death bell

• Terme désignant une cloche sonnant pour annoncer la mort de quelqu'un, ou, au sens figuré, un signe ou un présage que quelque chose est condamné ou touche à sa fin.

An old-fashioned expression referring to a bell rung to announce someone's death, or figuratively, a sign or omen that something is doomed or coming to an end.

1. Omen of deathC1formal

   A sign or event that is believed to foretell someone's death.

   glas funèbre

   • The old legend says that hearing a death bell at midnight is a bad omen.
   • In some cultures, a sudden silence in nature is considered a death bell.
   • The strange sound was interpreted as a death bell by the superstitious villagers.

2. End of somethingC1informal

   A signal or event that marks the end or failure of something.

   glas funèbre

   • The company's bankruptcy was the death bell for the entire project.
   • The scandal sounded the death bell for his political career.
   • The new technology tolled the death bell for the old manufacturing process.