life and death

/laɪf ən dɛθ/
adjective
  1. Involving the possibility of someone dying; extremely serious or urgent.
    • The hikers faced a life-and-death struggle against the blizzard.
    • The paramedics made a life-and-death decision to perform surgery on the spot.
    • In a life-and-death situation, every second counts.
  2. Of critical importance; determining a very important outcome.
    • The team's final game was a life-and-death match for the championship.
    • Getting the right advice can be a life-and-death issue for a startup.
    • For the small business, the loan approval was a life-and-death matter.
Antonyms