variants or less commonly life-or-death
Synonyms of life-and-deathnext
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And despite efforts to educate the public on what to do on a day of severe weather, people still sometimes make common mistakes when faced with a possible life-and-death situation. Dale Denwalt, Oklahoman, 1 Apr. 2026 The drumline loops and VST strings would be over-the-top if the performance weren’t so impassioned, the stakes not literally life-and-death. Hannah Jocelyn, Pitchfork, 30 Mar. 2026 Chicago Med follows the life-and-death struggles of devoted doctors, nurses and staff at the Gaffney Medical Center, and Chicago Fire centers around heroic firefighters and paramedics in Firehouse 51. Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2026 Certainly not the life-and-death stakes. Brian Truitt, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for life-and-death

Word History

First Known Use

1804, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of life-and-death was in 1804

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Life-and-death.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/life-and-death. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

life-and-death

adjective
: ending in life or death : deciding which will survive
a life-and-death struggle

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