to close one's eyes for the last time
- idiom
- Many believe he closed his eyes for the last time surrounded by those he loved.
Examples
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As the storm raged outside, the old man closed his eyes for the last time with a smile.
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After a long illness, she finally closed her eyes for the last time in peace.
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She closed her eyes for the last time peacefully.
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When he closes his eyes for the last time, we will remember him fondly.
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He passed peacefully away, closing his eyes for the last time surrounded by his loved ones.
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After a long illness, she closed her eyes for the last time, finally at rest.
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The old dog lay on the porch and closed his eyes for the last time, content and at peace.
Synonyms
249
2.7
To die, said in a gentle or polite way
5
9.1
To die peacefully, people say this as a gentle way to talk about someone's death
3
9.9
To stop living and not come back
1
7.9
To stop living
1
8.1
To breathe for the last time before you die
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
close + one + eye + for + the + last + time
The phrase combines the literal action 'close one's eyes' with 'for the last time' (a final occurrence), so a learner who knows the constituent words can compose these meanings to infer a final/terminal event — i.e. death. This euphemistic image is cross-linguistically common, making the intended meaning readily accessible to a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
The phrase close one's eyes for the last time comes from the simple image of a person gently closing their eyes as life ends. People used this quiet picture as a polite way to say 'to die'.