for dear life
idiom
: very tightly or quickly because of fear or danger
He was hanging/holding on to the rope for dear life.
They were running for dear life to get away from the vicious dogs.
Examples of for dear life in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lamar Jackson’s squad lit up the Cowboys early on Sunday – largely thanks to a breakout performance from running back Derrick Henry – but then had to hold on for dear life to get their first win of the season.
—
Andy Scholes, CNN, 26 Sep. 2024
This was not, however, the sort of game Lincoln Riley had hoped to wind up in for USC’s Big Ten debut, with his new quarterback under heavy attack and his new defense holding on for dear life and the game’s every beat dictated by the defending national champs.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2024
Listen to this article FORT COLLINS — The Rams held on for dear life in their get-right, gimmie game on Saturday.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2024
The other boroughs, for their part, cling to the Bronx for dear life.
—Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for for dear life 
Andy Scholes, CNN, 26 Sep. 2024
This was not, however, the sort of game Lincoln Riley had hoped to wind up in for USC’s Big Ten debut, with his new quarterback under heavy attack and his new defense holding on for dear life and the game’s every beat dictated by the defending national champs.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2024
Listen to this article FORT COLLINS — The Rams held on for dear life in their get-right, gimmie game on Saturday.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2024
The other boroughs, for their part, cling to the Bronx for dear life.
—Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for for dear life
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'for dear life.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near for dear life
Cite this Entry
“For dear life.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/for%20dear%20life. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share