life-or-death
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of life-or-death
First recorded in 1680–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They offered principles and red lines, including a plea that “AI systems must never be allowed to make life-or-death decisions, especially in military applications.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
Related: They have millions in the bank — but without kids, who makes their life-or-death decisions?
From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026
That movie put Matt Damon alone on Mars and made the act of thinking through one life-or-death problem after another the engine of the story.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026
This being “Primal,” they’re set upon by a group of diminutive flesh-eaters with jagged teeth, igniting a life-or-death skirmish that, miraculously, steals the viewer’s breath.
From Salon • Feb. 1, 2026
It was like telling everyone at dorm about a really successful trick, but much better, because she really had survived a life-or-death situation.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
