Definition of "life-or-death" [life-or-death]

• Variant of life-and-death. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Their experiences and observations underscore why changing the health care system has proved so hard for presidents and policymakers: the complexity of the system, the pressure from chronic diseases, the shortfall in preventive care, the high costs, the competing demands — and the life-or-death stakes."
• "The busker's struggle extends beyond the everyday necessities to life-or-death events that overshadow his performances."
• "Now he's been seriously injured in yet another crash and will require life-or-death brain surgery."