Throes is a violent condition, a painful struggle. Throes is a plural noun, it is almost never expressed as a singular, throe. Throes is possibly derived from a thirteenth-century English word, throwe, which means pang of childbirth, agony of death, which may, in turn, have come from the Old English word þrawan which means twist, turn, writhe or the Old English word thrēa meaning calamity.
Throws is the present tense of the word throw, which means to toss something, to propel something through space. Throws is also the plural of the noun throw. Throws comes from the Old English word thrāwan which means to turn, to torment.
Examples
The European monster is in its death throes (The Telegraph)
And while the resistance may be symptomatic of death throes, a rage at the dying of the white male light, it nonetheless presents a very real threat — there is the possibility that the old and angry may triumph over the new and different. (The Huffington Post)
“Physical states of abandon when drunk or in the throes of passion seem synonymous, and that comparison entered into the forefront of my paintings.” (The Chicago Tribune)
In the throes of flu season, doctors remind public of ‘flu etiquette’ (The Midland Reporter-Telegram)
Kelsey Mitchell hit six free throws in the final 1:14 to help the Ohio State women’s basketball team rally past Michigan State 85-80 in the Big Ten opener for both teams on Thursday. (The Columbus Dispatch)
No scaredy cat: Moggy filmed ATTACKING a horse which bolts and throws its rider… before dog comes to rescue and chases off the feisty furball (The Daily Mail)
Prewitt made two free throws with 1:09 remaining to pull within 68-65 but Towson made 8 of 10 free throws to seal it. (The Daily Journal)
Enjoyed reading about these homophones? Check out some others we covered: