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.
“We are currently facing an urgent, life-or-death crisis.”
Treating life-or-death matters in an explicitly cartoonish manner is a graphic self-own.
From Salon
This is the human cycle, a tale as old as time that takes on a grim new undertone in a time when matters feel very much life-or-death.
From Salon
To stay or go is a life-or-death calculation.
From BBC
A reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 thriller “High and Low,” “Highest 2 Lowest” stars Washington as a wealthy music mogul whose livelihood is threatened by a life-or-death ransom demand.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
