matter of life and death, a

1. A very urgent issue, situation, or circumstance. This expression can be used either literally, as in She told the doctor to hurry as it was a matter of life and death, or hyperbolically, as in Don't worry about finishing on time—it's hardly a matter of life and death. First recorded in 1849, it alludes to such urgency that someone's life depends on it. Although a matter of life or death would make more sense, it is rarely put that way.

Example Sentences

For our country, it is a matter of life and death, a matter of our historical future as a nation.

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“The court will not accept as an expert advisor to it on a matter of life and death a man who defies science so firmly established as beyond rational dispute,” Judge Thomas Moukawsher said.

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“For many communities it’s a matter of life and death, a matter of having the American dream or being denied it.”

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Before the speech, Booker stressed the urgency of reform, saying that for minority communities, change was “a matter of life and death, a matter of having the American dream or being denied it”.

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Politics in Nigeria is often a matter of life and death,a situation perpetuated by the laws that govern the land.

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