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do-or-die
[ doo-er-dahy ]
/ ˈdu ərˈdaɪ /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective
reflecting or characterized by an irrevocable decision to succeed at all costs; desperate; all-out: a do-or-die attempt to halt the invaders.
involving a potentially fatal crisis or crucial emergency.
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We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.
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Origin of do-or-die
First recorded in 1875–80
Words nearby do-or-die
doorbuster, doorcase, door chain, door charge, door check, do-or-die, doorframe, door furniture, door handle, door jack, doorjamb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use do-or-die in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for do-or-die
do-or-die
adjective
(prenominal) of or involving a determined and sometimes reckless effort to succeed
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with do-or-die
do or die
Exert supreme effort because failure is close at hand, as in Carol was going to set up the computer, do or die. This hyperbolic expression in effect says one will not be deterred by any obstacle. [c. 1600]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.