First recorded in 1830–40
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Desperate cinema buffs are going on real-life odysseys to secure seats in the first deluxe screenings—including showings at 7 a.m. and 3 a.m. on opening weekend for “The Odyssey” next month.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
China's robots have wowed audiences with fluid dancing and set-piece martial arts displays onstage, but their application and performance in real-life settings remains limited.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
Eastwood plays the spoon-wielding lead in this thrilling jailbreak saga based on the infamous real-life escape from the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in 1962.
From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026
“I’ve only taken donations from real-life human beings.”
From Salon • Jun. 4, 2026
If I perform well only in real-life circumstances, then into them I should go.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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.
