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.
The life-and-death situation motivated Phillips to take to social media for help, with the encouragement of her famous friends and family, like sister Mackenzie Phillips and long term friends Nicky and Paris Hilton. Isabel Yip, NBC news, 1 Mar. 2026 That's a life-and-death situation right there. Christine Sloan, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026 Camera crews, beaming images live around the world, showed Honnold’s eye-popping athleticism and his calm, jovial demeanor amid a life-and-death scenario. Outside, 23 Feb. 2026 There is no sugarcoating the depth of disagreement between public health and MAHA over some life-and-death interventions such as vaccines. Tom W. Johnson, STAT, 26 Jan. 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 7 Mar. 2026.

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

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