variants
also life-or-death
as in crucial
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of life-and-death
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
Certainly not the life-and-death stakes.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
The stakes of slow action on pedestrian and cyclist safety are life-and-death.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 16 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for life-and-death
Hannah Jocelyn, Pitchfork, 30 Mar. 2026
Certainly not the life-and-death stakes.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
The stakes of slow action on pedestrian and cyclist safety are life-and-death.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 16 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for life-and-death
Recent Examples of Synonyms for life-and-death
Adjective
-
The information provided is crucial in identifying whether the state meets federal requirements for various forms of disaster assistance.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Jackie Vece, head of the residents’ association and chief organizer of their campaign, said capping rent increases is crucial.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Zehavi doubted the proliferation of FPV drones would have a truly decisive impact on the war overall, comparing it to previous technological improvements Hezbollah has adopted.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Only four have even pushed it to the decisive Game 7.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But the king said despite the fundamental disagreement between the countries, the United States inherited its democratic values from the United Kingdom.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
There are fundamental limits, such as the Planck scale (sometimes called the pixel size of the universe), beyond which the very idea of distance loses meaning.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Dozens of nations push for reopening of strait Dozens of nations repeated calls to open the critical waterway in a joint statement led by Bahrain.—
Samy Magdy,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Those increases are being driven in part by global supply concerns, including ongoing tensions involving Iran and uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for oil shipments.—
Sergio Candido,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Ryan Vilade and Jonathan Aranda provided the key hits, Steven Matz worked seven strong innings, and Ian Seymour and Bryan Baker teamed up for the final six outs.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The twins, who are both committed to Elgin Community College, have been key regulars in the lineup this season for the Storm (13-5, 6-0).—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The first is to start with super basic exercises unique to the core stability category.—
Matt Parrott,
Arkansas Online,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The state defines neglect as intentionally not meeting a child’s basic needs, such as adequate food or weather-appropriate clothing.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The guard’s late-game work on the offensive glass and defensive contributions were pivotal for Boston.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The April 7 announcement by Anthropic — that its new Mythos model was far more powerful and thus far more dangerous than any previous AI tool — increasingly appears to be a pivotal moment in human history.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Life-and-death.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/life-and-death. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
