What does "now-or-never" mean?

Of a need for a decision, an opportunity, etc.: arising at the present time and requiring action to be taken immediately, or not at all.

How do you pronounce "now-or-never"?

Pronounced //ˌnaʊəˈnɛvə//.

Now-or-never

//ˌnaʊəˈnɛvə// adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective

1
Of a need for a decision, an opportunity, etc.: arising at the present time and requiring action to be taken immediately, or not at all. not-comparable
"Margaret knew what it was to expect her visitors to return ‘in one moment,’ and with a ‘now-or-never’ feeling she began, ‘Ethel dear, wait,’ but Ethel was too impetuous to attend."

Example

More examples

"Margaret knew what it was to expect her visitors to return ‘in one moment,’ and with a ‘now-or-never’ feeling she began, ‘Ethel dear, wait,’ but Ethel was too impetuous to attend."

Etymology

From now or never (adverb).

More for "now-or-never"

Synonyms Sentences Pronunciation Translate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation Browse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.