More often than not described as the last exhale of breathe, heard from the vibration of the neck when it is in an unusual position, allowing air to escape a narrow passage from the throat. It causes any of infinite odd sounds of expulsion of air.
You can imitate a death rattle for fun. Lean your neck backwards at 90 degrees and Pronounce terms such as "Ughrghrghrghrgh" or "Phhztttttt"
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a sound produced by a person immediately preceding death, resulting from the passage of air through the mucus in the throat.
He gave a death rattle and then died.
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that annoying/scary noise made by the girl in "The Grudge". this is caused by her neck being broken. Sort of a strangled ahhhhhhhhh.
I heard the death rattle behind me. Then I was dead.
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The beeping noise a phone or tablet makes to alert you of its near death status (being out of battery - let's not quibble over semantics)
Oh for fucks sake, I have to charge my phone, it just gave its death rattle!
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A heroic sacrifice. Whenever a person (usually fictional) either holds off or tries to take down an overwhelming amount of enemies, almost always at the expense of their life.
Boromir had a death rattle at the end of the movie.
the sound of a penis being tossed around in a vacuum cleaner
lad 1: What was that sound
lad 2: oh just a death rattle
lad 1: oohhh, so his penis just got sucked off by a vacuum cleaner