1.
risking one's life, life-or-death, desperate
Putting one's life on the line; doing something with total commitment as if one's life depended on it. Used both literally and figuratively.
命懸けで逃げた。
I fled for my life.
消防士たちは命懸けで救助に当たった。
The firefighters risked their lives in the rescue operation.
彼は命懸けの覚悟で試合に臨んだ。
He entered the match with life-or-death determination.
Functions as a noun that modifies other nouns with の, or directly modifies verbs as an adverb (e.g., 命懸けで戦う). Also written as 命がけ in hiragana for the second part.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 命懸けで守る — to protect at the risk of one's life
- 命懸けの戦い — a life-or-death battle
- 命懸けの覚悟 — life-or-death resolve
- 命懸けで逃げる — to flee for one's life
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 必死 — desperate, frantic (more common in everyday use)
- 決死 — do-or-die (literary, often used with 覚悟)