"for dear life" meaning in English

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "for dear life (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1896, Jacob A. Riis, Out of Mulberry Street: Stories of Tenement Life in New York City, published 1970",
          "text": "Paolo sat crosslegged on his bench, stitching away for dear life.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2000 March 12, Stuart Barnes, “Swindon stunner for Curbishley”, in The Guardian, →ISSN",
          "text": "After 12 successive league wins[…]Charlton were nobbled by the First Division's no-hopers, who profited from a goalkeeping bloomer then held on to their lead for dear life.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2005, Mary Jane McKinney, Grammardog Guide to Conrad Short Stories, page 27",
          "text": "I remember the heat, the deluge of rain-squalls that kept us baling for dear life (but filled our water cask), and I remember sixteen hours on end with a mouth dry as a cinder and a steering oar over the stern to keep my first command head on to a breaking sea.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Chicken Soup for the Girl's Soul",
          "text": "We want you to see that these years can be a rollercoaster ride where sometimes you have to hang on for dear life—but you will come through it.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014, Jillian Carmichael, Middle School Crazy, page 1",
          "text": "Each morning you get in the roller coaster car, strap yourself in, and hold on for dear life hoping you won't throw up or pass out.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021 February 24, Greg Morse, “Great Heck: a tragic chain of events”, in RAIL, number 925, page 39",
          "text": "Then came the collision: it was \"like a rollercoaster ride\" and she held onto the table in front of her \"for dear life. Then it just stopped and all I could hear was people screaming.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Desperately."
      ],
      "id": "en-for_dear_life-en-adv-y9xy6EoY",
      "links": [
        [
          "Desperately",
          "desperately"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "life and limb"
        },
        {
          "word": "risk life and limb"
        },
        {
          "word": "to save one's life"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "for life"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "for dear life"
}

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "for dear life (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "life and limb"
    },
    {
      "word": "risk life and limb"
    },
    {
      "word": "to save one's life"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English adverbs",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English uncomparable adverbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1896, Jacob A. Riis, Out of Mulberry Street: Stories of Tenement Life in New York City, published 1970",
          "text": "Paolo sat crosslegged on his bench, stitching away for dear life.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2000 March 12, Stuart Barnes, “Swindon stunner for Curbishley”, in The Guardian, →ISSN",
          "text": "After 12 successive league wins[…]Charlton were nobbled by the First Division's no-hopers, who profited from a goalkeeping bloomer then held on to their lead for dear life.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2005, Mary Jane McKinney, Grammardog Guide to Conrad Short Stories, page 27",
          "text": "I remember the heat, the deluge of rain-squalls that kept us baling for dear life (but filled our water cask), and I remember sixteen hours on end with a mouth dry as a cinder and a steering oar over the stern to keep my first command head on to a breaking sea.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Chicken Soup for the Girl's Soul",
          "text": "We want you to see that these years can be a rollercoaster ride where sometimes you have to hang on for dear life—but you will come through it.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014, Jillian Carmichael, Middle School Crazy, page 1",
          "text": "Each morning you get in the roller coaster car, strap yourself in, and hold on for dear life hoping you won't throw up or pass out.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021 February 24, Greg Morse, “Great Heck: a tragic chain of events”, in RAIL, number 925, page 39",
          "text": "Then came the collision: it was \"like a rollercoaster ride\" and she held onto the table in front of her \"for dear life. Then it just stopped and all I could hear was people screaming.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Desperately."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Desperately",
          "desperately"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "for life"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "for dear life"
}