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.
With people making potentially life-or-death decisions based on his posts, Esko said he felt the weight of responsibility.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
That was apparently enough to resolve a life-or-death operational question for armed federal officers across the country.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
On Wednesday, the man was no longer in a life-or-death situation, but the woman's condition had not yet stabilised, AFP reports.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
But it makes sense in the context of the life-or-death desire for connection Mr. Lavers is trying to express.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Heading to a neighboring camper or the campground offices to ask for a phone to use seems a little extreme—this isn’t exactly life-or-death.
From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
