: allowing no middle ground between success and failure

Examples of make-or-break in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
These businesses need banking relationships that will support them during their make-or-break years. Brock Blake, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025 Read the full Leo Daily Horoscope Virgo (August 23 - September 22) A make-or-break moment may be occurring in a primary relationship. Usa Today, USA Today, 21 Apr. 2025 Read The Hill’s Mike Lillis’s reporting: ‘Spotlight shifts to Medicaid, a make-or-break issue for Trump’ COMING UP The House and Senate are out. Cate Martel, The Hill, 14 Apr. 2025 Everyone goes through phases of discerning who can and cannot be trusted in life; but for the ultra-famous, this is a skill that can literally make-or-break their careers. Jessica Ourisman, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for make-or-break

Word History

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of make-or-break was in 1919

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Cite this Entry

“Make-or-break.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make-or-break. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

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