"do or die" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_text": "An ultimatory verbal phrase composed of the words: do, or, and die.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "does or dies",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "doing or dying",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "did or died",
      "tags": [
        "past",
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "done or died",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past",
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "do-or-die",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "either do or die",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "do<does,,did,done> or die<>"
      },
      "expansion": "do or die (third-person singular simple present does or dies, present participle doing or dying, simple past did or died, past participle done or died)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "13 87",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "10 90",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 92",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1621 (first literary attestation), John Fletcher, The Island Princess act 2.scene 2",
          "text": "Emanuel: Bless us, dear Fortune! / Armusia: Let us be worthy of it in our courage, and Fortune must befriend us. Come, all sever; but keep still within sight: when the flame rises let's meet, and either do or die.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1793, Robert Burns, Robert Bruce's March To Bannockburn 6th stanza.4th line",
          "text": "Lay the proud Usurpers low! / Tyrants fall in every foe! / Liberty's in every blow! / Let us do or die!",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1942, Mahatma Gandhi, Address before the A.I.C.C. at Bombay on 08/08/1942, 8th paragraph at the beginning",
          "text": "Here is a mantra, a short one, that I give you. You may imprint it on your hearts and let every breath of yours give expression to it. The mantra is : ‘Do or Die’. We shall either free India or die in the attempt; we shall not live to see the perpetuation of our slavery.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To act with sufficient urgency to result in either immediate success or immediate failure."
      ],
      "id": "en-do_or_die-en-verb-l3HQ8uvv",
      "links": [
        [
          "sufficient",
          "sufficient"
        ],
        [
          "urgency",
          "urgency"
        ],
        [
          "immediate",
          "immediate"
        ],
        [
          "success",
          "success"
        ],
        [
          "failure",
          "failure"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To act with sufficient urgency to result in either immediate success or immediate failure."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-do-or-die.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fb/En-au-do-or-die.ogg/En-au-do-or-die.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/En-au-do-or-die.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "do or die"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_text": "An adjectival phrase composed of the words: do, or, and die.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "do-or-die",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "either do or die",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "do or die (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              72,
              81
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1996 October 14, “Clinton v. Dole: Let the Debates Begin”, in Time:",
          "text": "Clinton and Dole brought different needs to the debate. For Dole it was do or die. He had to hit Clinton hard but without seeming harsh, a conundrum for him all year.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Requiring a determined or desperate effort to avoid the consequences of failure."
      ],
      "id": "en-do_or_die-en-adj-w5jZDJVv",
      "links": [
        [
          "determined",
          "determined"
        ],
        [
          "desperate",
          "desperate"
        ],
        [
          "effort",
          "effort"
        ],
        [
          "consequence",
          "consequence"
        ],
        [
          "failure",
          "failure"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Requiring a determined or desperate effort to avoid the consequences of failure."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "not-comparable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-do-or-die.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fb/En-au-do-or-die.ogg/En-au-do-or-die.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/En-au-do-or-die.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "do or die"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English uncomparable adjectives",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_text": "An ultimatory verbal phrase composed of the words: do, or, and die.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "does or dies",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "doing or dying",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "did or died",
      "tags": [
        "past",
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "done or died",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past",
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "do-or-die",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "either do or die",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "do<does,,did,done> or die<>"
      },
      "expansion": "do or die (third-person singular simple present does or dies, present participle doing or dying, simple past did or died, past participle done or died)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1621 (first literary attestation), John Fletcher, The Island Princess act 2.scene 2",
          "text": "Emanuel: Bless us, dear Fortune! / Armusia: Let us be worthy of it in our courage, and Fortune must befriend us. Come, all sever; but keep still within sight: when the flame rises let's meet, and either do or die.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1793, Robert Burns, Robert Bruce's March To Bannockburn 6th stanza.4th line",
          "text": "Lay the proud Usurpers low! / Tyrants fall in every foe! / Liberty's in every blow! / Let us do or die!",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1942, Mahatma Gandhi, Address before the A.I.C.C. at Bombay on 08/08/1942, 8th paragraph at the beginning",
          "text": "Here is a mantra, a short one, that I give you. You may imprint it on your hearts and let every breath of yours give expression to it. The mantra is : ‘Do or Die’. We shall either free India or die in the attempt; we shall not live to see the perpetuation of our slavery.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To act with sufficient urgency to result in either immediate success or immediate failure."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sufficient",
          "sufficient"
        ],
        [
          "urgency",
          "urgency"
        ],
        [
          "immediate",
          "immediate"
        ],
        [
          "success",
          "success"
        ],
        [
          "failure",
          "failure"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To act with sufficient urgency to result in either immediate success or immediate failure."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-do-or-die.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fb/En-au-do-or-die.ogg/En-au-do-or-die.ogg.mp3",
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  ],
  "word": "do or die"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English uncomparable adjectives",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_text": "An adjectival phrase composed of the words: do, or, and die.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "do-or-die",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "either do or die",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "do or die (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              72,
              81
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1996 October 14, “Clinton v. Dole: Let the Debates Begin”, in Time:",
          "text": "Clinton and Dole brought different needs to the debate. For Dole it was do or die. He had to hit Clinton hard but without seeming harsh, a conundrum for him all year.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Requiring a determined or desperate effort to avoid the consequences of failure."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "determined",
          "determined"
        ],
        [
          "desperate",
          "desperate"
        ],
        [
          "effort",
          "effort"
        ],
        [
          "consequence",
          "consequence"
        ],
        [
          "failure",
          "failure"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Requiring a determined or desperate effort to avoid the consequences of failure."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "not-comparable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-do-or-die.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fb/En-au-do-or-die.ogg/En-au-do-or-die.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/En-au-do-or-die.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "do or die"
}