Have one foot in the grave Meaning in English
expression
HAV wuhn FOOT in thuh GRAYV
hav WON foot in thuh GRAYV
Definition
To be very old or very close to death, often due to serious illness or frailty.
Usage & Nuances
This is an informal, often humorous idiom. It should not be used to talk about someone sensitive to health topics. Mostly used for older people, but also for someone very sick.
Spanish: tener un pie en la tumbaPortuguese (BR): ter um pé na covaPortuguese (PT): ter um pé na covaChinese (Simplified): 半只脚踏进了坟墓Chinese (Traditional): 半隻腳踏進了墳墓Hindi: कब्र में एक पैर होनाArabic: على شفير الموتBengali: এক পা কবরে - মৃত্যু দরজায় (figure of speech)Russian: одной ногой в могилеJapanese: 片足を棺桶に突っ込んでいるVietnamese: một chân đã đặt vào quan tài - sắp về với tổ tiên (nghĩa bóng)Korean: 한 발을 무덤에 디디고 있다 - 거의 죽음에 가까운 상태이다Turkish: mezarın bir ayağında olmakUrdu: آدھی قبر میں ہونا - ایک قدم قبر میں ہوناIndonesian: satu kaki di kuburan
Example Sentences
After his long illness, Grandpa really has one foot in the grave.
basic
The old dog sadly has one foot in the grave now.
basic
She looks so weak, it seems she has one foot in the grave.
basic
Don’t worry, I may be old but I don’t have one foot in the grave yet!
natural
He jokes about his age, saying he has one foot in the grave, but he's actually very energetic.
natural
After her surgery, some people thought she had one foot in the grave, but she recovered quickly.
natural