matter of life and death, a

Idioms  

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.

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Example Sentences

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

From New York Times • Feb. 24, 2022

“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.

From Washington Times • Oct. 2, 2020

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

From The Guardian • Jul. 21, 2015

For the Pretenders, then, as for very few other bands today, music becomes quite literally a matter of life and death, a way, better than any other, of keeping wide awake.

From Time Magazine Archive