life-and-death
adjective
variants
or less commonly life-or-death
: involving or culminating in life or death : vitally important as if involving life or death
Examples of life-and-death in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Between the frigid cold and circling wolves below, the trio make life-and-death decisions to survive.
—
Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 24 Nov. 2023
That was a life-and-death matter during the Cedar fire.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Oct. 2023
The eye-popping figure reflects both the high cost of litigation and the fact the crypto world is in a life-and-death struggle with the SEC, whose chairman has adopted a relentlessly hostile posture towards the industry.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 21 Sep. 2023
Then, the staff got to work picking the ones that best encapsulated the uncertainty and life-and-death feelings of that moment.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 30 Aug. 2023
The mentality of enmity can poison a nation’s spirit, instigate brutal life-and-death struggles, destroy a society’s tolerance and humanity, and block a nation’s progress to freedom and democracy.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 17 July 2023
Everything Went Fine François Ozon salutes the nuclear family in a life-and-death crisis that also honors the individuality of a father and his daughter (André Dussollier, Sophie Marceau), who are superficially at odds.
—Armond White, National Review, 7 July 2023
What is certain, however, is that the Middle colonies and South Carolina were left with a life-and-death decision to make.
—Time, 3 July 2023
Game controllers have been used in life-and-death situations in combat, and likely will continue to be used in those scenarios for the foreseeable future.
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 22 June 2023
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Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 24 Nov. 2023
That was a life-and-death matter during the Cedar fire.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Oct. 2023
The eye-popping figure reflects both the high cost of litigation and the fact the crypto world is in a life-and-death struggle with the SEC, whose chairman has adopted a relentlessly hostile posture towards the industry.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 21 Sep. 2023
Then, the staff got to work picking the ones that best encapsulated the uncertainty and life-and-death feelings of that moment.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 30 Aug. 2023
The mentality of enmity can poison a nation’s spirit, instigate brutal life-and-death struggles, destroy a society’s tolerance and humanity, and block a nation’s progress to freedom and democracy.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 17 July 2023
Everything Went Fine François Ozon salutes the nuclear family in a life-and-death crisis that also honors the individuality of a father and his daughter (André Dussollier, Sophie Marceau), who are superficially at odds.
—Armond White, National Review, 7 July 2023
What is certain, however, is that the Middle colonies and South Carolina were left with a life-and-death decision to make.
—Time, 3 July 2023
Game controllers have been used in life-and-death situations in combat, and likely will continue to be used in those scenarios for the foreseeable future.
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 22 June 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'life-and-death.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1804, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near life-and-death
Cite this Entry
“Life-and-death.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/life-and-death. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
life-and-death
adjective
: ending in life or death : deciding which will survive
a life-and-death struggle
More from Merriam-Webster on life-and-death
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for life-and-death
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