make-or-break

American  

[meyk-er-breyk] / ˈmeɪk ərˈbreɪk /

adjective

1. either completely successful or utterly disastrous.

   a make-or-break marketing policy.

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make or break Idioms  

1. Cause either total success or total ruin, as in This assignment will make or break her as a reporter. This rhyming expression, first recorded in Charles Dickens's Barnaby Rudge (1840), has largely replaced the much older (16th-century) alliterative synonym make or mar, at least in America.

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Etymology

Origin of make-or-break

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

The first film is a make-or-break for many actors turned directors.

From Salon

Su’a Cravens, a USC standout at safety/linebacker from 2013-15, also pointed to the next year as make-or-break for the Riley-coached Trojans.

From Los Angeles Times

Yes, 2026 is a make-or-break year, and in the end, power supply may be what applies the brakes.

From Barron's

"We have to find a solution," she said as EU leaders gathered for make-or-break negotiations on using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine.

From Barron's

Fair or not, CoreWeave has emerged as the poster child of that trend, and it faces a make-or-break 2026 less than a year after going public.

From Barron's