do-or-die

[ doo-er-dahy ]

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.

do-or-die

adjective

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of do-or-die¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

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

In any case, nothing about the party’s exhausting, alarmist messaging or its murky self-image is going to change dramatically in the last week before a do-or-die national election.

From Salon

The game finished with the Dodger bullpen that had been so brilliant in a Game 4 do-or-die win, this time four relievers holding the Padres hitless over the final four innings.

From Los Angeles Times

This is the first meeting between Harris and Trump, ever, and “the most consequential debate of our lifetime” — at least since the last do-or-die debate in 2020.

From Los Angeles Times

Most fundamentally, the opposition, newly coalesced for what it called a do-or-die moment as Mr. Modi increasingly tilted the playing field, found a way to use the cult of personality around him to its advantage.

From New York Times

Related Words

• championship
• clash
• event
• fight
• game
• match
• meeting
• race
• rivalry
• sport
• struggle
• tournament
• trial