MAKE-OR-BREAK Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

make-or-break

adjective

Definition of make-or-break

as in crucial

resulting in either definite success or definite failure a make-or-break decision The next year will be a make-or-break time for the company.

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of make-or-break Jonathan Mingo — Still searching for his first NFL touchdown after just one reception last season, making this a make-or-break camp for the former second-round pick. — Nick Harris. Story Produced With Ai Assistance, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Aug. 2026 Now Pearsall will enter next year’s training camp in a make-or-break walk year. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2026 Breslow knows his job is on the line this year, and this deadline might be a make-or-break scenario. — Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 28 July 2026 Not that the location is a make-or-break factor for the business. — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for make-or-break

Recent Examples of Synonyms for make-or-break

Adjective

Many market participants believe these results will serve as a crucial bellwether to test whether the AI rally can sustain its momentum.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Brown’s ability to hammer Husted on this issue is alarming Republican operatives, who see a Husted victory as crucial to holding a majority in the Senate.

— Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of crucial

Adjective

The critical consensus on the Croisette was similarly effusive.

— Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
Restrictions on energy, electricity or critical minerals, something Ford also floated, could instead raise costs for American companies and consumers by making key inputs more expensive or harder to obtain.

— Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of critical

Adjective

Iceland’s freezing temperatures typically last about five months of the year, but the government has chosen a balmy summer day for its pivotal national referendum.

— Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
But Bama followed with a 38-3 quarterfinal flop to Indiana, erasing any momentum and placing DeBoer squarely under the microscope entering a pivotal third season.

— Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of pivotal

Browse Nearby Words

make one's mark

make-or-break

make out

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Style

“Make-or-break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/make-or-break. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of make-or-break

adjective

Example Sentences

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