1
: marked by or characteristic of agony
They could hear agonal groans coming from inside, and were sure that someone was still alive and was calling for help.—
Lawrence Wright
Lawrence Wright2
: of, relating to, or associated with the act of dying : occurring just before death
In the agonal stage, death comes from hemorrhage and shock.—Richard Preston
Richard PrestonKennedy had a very weak pulse and was experiencing what's called agonal breathing, labored, gasping, the body's final attempts to sustain life.—Deanna Watson
Deanna WatsonExamples of agonal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One youth was saved, but another had agonal breathing was taken to a hospital.
—Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 26 June 2024
Following the collision, Harb pulled into a gas station before responding officers found Eberly, who was wearing a helmet, suffering from agonal breathing with injuries and no pulse, the affidavit said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 20 Jan. 2024
In this moment, emergency dispatchers need a mountain of confidence to urge action when agonal breathing happens.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2024
Nelson also asked whether agonal breathing — or involuntary gasps sometimes made by people under cardiac arrest — could be confused with regular breathing.
—Chao Xiong, Star Tribune, 6 Apr. 2021
After Judge Tanya Chutkan overruled them, Crowns suggested what reporters saw was called agonal breathing — involuntary intakes of air in the final moments before death.
—Michael Tarm, Star Tribune, 17 Feb. 2021
That's according to researchers at the University of Washington who found that around half of people experiencing a heart attack made sounds known as agonal breathing.
—Dalvin Brown, USA TODAY, 20 June 2019
Standard smart speakers can be updated to detect the agonal breathing of cardiac arrest and call emergency services.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's magazine, 19 Aug. 2019
Cleveland then continued to show signs of agonal breathing.
—Greg Larose, NOLA.com, 1 Feb. 2018
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Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 26 June 2024
Following the collision, Harb pulled into a gas station before responding officers found Eberly, who was wearing a helmet, suffering from agonal breathing with injuries and no pulse, the affidavit said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 20 Jan. 2024
In this moment, emergency dispatchers need a mountain of confidence to urge action when agonal breathing happens.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2024
Nelson also asked whether agonal breathing — or involuntary gasps sometimes made by people under cardiac arrest — could be confused with regular breathing.
—Chao Xiong, Star Tribune, 6 Apr. 2021
After Judge Tanya Chutkan overruled them, Crowns suggested what reporters saw was called agonal breathing — involuntary intakes of air in the final moments before death.
—Michael Tarm, Star Tribune, 17 Feb. 2021
That's according to researchers at the University of Washington who found that around half of people experiencing a heart attack made sounds known as agonal breathing.
—Dalvin Brown, USA TODAY, 20 June 2019
Standard smart speakers can be updated to detect the agonal breathing of cardiac arrest and call emergency services.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's magazine, 19 Aug. 2019
Cleveland then continued to show signs of agonal breathing.
—Greg Larose, NOLA.com, 1 Feb. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Agonal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agonal. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
agonal
adjective
ag·o·nal
ˈag-ən-ᵊl 
: of, relating to, or associated with the act of dying : occurring just before death
… the chemical changes in the blood during the agonal state …—The Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical AssociationKennedy had a very weak pulse and was experiencing what's called agonal breathing, labored, gasping, the body's final attempts to sustain life.—Deanna Watson
Deanna WatsonLove words? Need even more definitions?
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