1. blows or strikes that cause death
Usage: literal sense
2. actions or events that destroy or ruin something completely
Usage: figurative sense

Examples

• The warrior delivered swift deathblows to his enemies.
• The scandal dealt deathblows to his political career.
• Rising costs were deathblows to many small businesses.
• The new regulations proved to be deathblows for the industry.
• Economic sanctions served as deathblows to the regime.
• The final deathblows came in the form of massive layoffs.