for dear life
As if drowning
With desperate urgency, as if survival depends on it.
Someone holding on for dear life grips with maximum effort to avoid falling or being thrown.
The phrase emphasizes intensity of effort in any situation where failure feels catastrophic: She pedaled for dear life to beat the closing gate.
- urgentlyWith pressing immediacy
- desperatelyWith urgent intensity
- hanging by a threadNearly failing or ending
- survivalRemaining alive against odds
- struggleLabored effort against resistance
grasp · intensity · effort · tooth and nail · at all costs · peril · white-knuckle · escape · run for it · jeopardy · cling · holding on tight · crisis · emergency · do or die · hanging on · hold · catastrophe
for dear lifecasually
In an informal way
nonchalantly · halfheartedly · lazily · listlessly · lackadaisically
for dear lifefor fun
Without practical motive
for the hell of it · for kicks · just because · for no reason · without consequence
for dear lifecalmly
In a tranquil manner
serenely · coolly · placidly · composedly · unconcernedly
dear, life, dearly, dearness, dearest, dearer, live, lively, lifelong