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
The Knicks went from cruising to a Game 1 victory to trying to hold on for dear life.
—
Zach Harper, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Aldo went for a finish in the third round and ran out of gas in the final half of the fight, which left him hanging on for dear life as Aiemann Zahabi, who was also tired, unloaded elbows to Aldo’s head.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Bill chewed his cigar nervously and hung on to the rod for dear life as the fish dashed headlong into a bed of weeds.
—Don Shiner, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2025
Whatever the color, your boy Ethan Hunt is gonna hang on that sucker for dear life because he’s got things to do and a world to save yet again.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for for dear life
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Zach Harper, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Aldo went for a finish in the third round and ran out of gas in the final half of the fight, which left him hanging on for dear life as Aiemann Zahabi, who was also tired, unloaded elbows to Aldo’s head.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Bill chewed his cigar nervously and hung on to the rod for dear life as the fish dashed headlong into a bed of weeds.
—Don Shiner, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2025
Whatever the color, your boy Ethan Hunt is gonna hang on that sucker for dear life because he’s got things to do and a world to save yet again.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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 1 Jun. 2025.
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