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• do-or-die
  do-or-die

  adjective

  reflecting or characterized by an irrevocable decision to succeed at all costs; desperate; all-out.
• 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]

do-or-die

American  

[doo-er-dahy] / ˈdu ərˈdaɪ /

adjective

1. reflecting or characterized by an irrevocable decision to succeed at all costs; desperate; all-out.

   a do-or-die attempt to halt the invaders.

2. involving a potentially fatal crisis or crucial emergency.

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do-or-die British  

adjective

1. (prenominal) of or involving a determined and sometimes reckless effort to succeed

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do or die Idioms  

1. 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]

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Etymology

Origin of do-or-die

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Now, America can plan for at least one more at its home tournament after surviving the first of its do-or-die tests at this tournament.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026

It’s not a do-or-die game for either team since three points could be enough to advance.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

"It was a do-or-die moment, the most critical operation in the mission," Nandini told me when I interviewed her in 2016.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

The Azzurri, who lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a do-or-die playoff on Tuesday, last qualified in 2014.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

And it occurs to me that even in these do-or-die moments, there’s still space for us to laugh.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Related Words

• championship
• clash
• event
• fight
• game
• match
• meeting
• race
• rivalry
• sport
• struggle
• tournament
• trial