make-or-break
adjectiveUK /ˌmeɪk ɔː ˈbreɪk/
US /ˌmeɪk ɔːr ˈbreɪk/
A make-or-break thing is so important that it decides if you win or lose.
The final game was make-or-break for the team.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A moment that decides whether something succeeds or fails.
The exam was the make-or-break of his school year.
3. Describing a test or event that has no middle result, only success or failure.
It was a make-or-break audition for the young singer.
4. A situation where everything depends on one chance.
Their make-or-break chance came in the last minute of the match.