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• do-or-die
  do-or-die

  adjective

  reflecting or characterized by an irrevocable decision to succeed at all costs; desperate; all-out.
• do or die
  do or die

  Exert supreme effort because failure is close at hand, as in Carol was going to set up the computer, do or die. This hyperbolic expression in effect says one will not be deterred by any obstacle. [c. 1600]

do-or-die

American  

[doo-er-dahy] / ˈdu ərˈdaɪ /

adjective

1. reflecting or characterized by an irrevocable decision to succeed at all costs; desperate; all-out.

   a do-or-die attempt to halt the invaders.

2. involving a potentially fatal crisis or crucial emergency.

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do-or-die British  

adjective

1. (prenominal) of or involving a determined and sometimes reckless effort to succeed

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do or die Idioms  

1. Exert supreme effort because failure is close at hand, as in Carol was going to set up the computer, do or die. This hyperbolic expression in effect says one will not be deterred by any obstacle. [c. 1600]

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Etymology

Origin of do-or-die

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

However, it isn’t a do-or-die proposition for IBM, Woodring points out.

From Barron's • Dec. 10, 2025

Now they’re praying Game 6 starter Yoshi Yamamoto can repeat his Game 2 magic and force a do-or-die contest on Saturday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

Most famous was his missed, do-or-die 6-footer in the 1991 Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2025

He says he felt it for his new Peacock thriller series, "Teacup," where he plays a complicated father and husband whose family is thrown into a terrifying do-or-die mystery.

From Salon • Oct. 26, 2024

And it occurs to me that even in these do-or-die moments, there’s still space for us to laugh.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

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