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.
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
Related: They have millions in the bank — but without kids, who makes their life-or-death decisions?
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 2026
But there’s a difference—and it’s a life-or-death difference now—between protest and incitement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
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 ● Sep. 28, 2025
I mean, I barely knew her, but after being in two life-or-death situations together, I couldn't just call her nobody.
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
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.
