for dear life

Idioms

Also, for one's life. Desperately, urgently, so as to save one's life. For example, When the boat capsized, I hung on for dear life, or With the dogs chasing them they ran for their lives, or She wanted that vase but I saw it first and hung on to it for dear life. These expressions are sometimes hyperbolic (that is, one's life may not actually be in danger). The first dates from the mid-1800s, the variant from the first half of the 1600s. Also see for the life of one.

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.

Now they are hanging onto their jobs for dear life, spooked by high-profile layoff announcements, the rise of artificial intelligence and an unforgiving job market for the unemployed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

Saylor has continually urged investors to “HODL,” or hold on for dear life, an initialism reminding Bitcoin fans to cling to their digital assets for the long term.

From Barron's • Nov. 24, 2025

I am holding on for dear life, like I’m in the trenches with everyone.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2025

But it ended with Nathaniel and Charlie from Leeds "hanging on for dear life" - stranded high in a quarry on a crumbling cliff, with a storm blowing in.

From BBC • Jul. 29, 2025

I thought of my mother’s lifelong warning to us children whenever we entered a boat: if it overturns, grab hold for dear life!

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023