run for one's life

present singular third person runs for one's life · participle present running for one's life · past ran for one's life

1. literallyTo run away desperately from danger.

   Run to the hills! Run for your life!

   1982, Iron Maiden, Run to the Hills

   3 more examples

   Typically she would be awakened by a nightmare, very few of which she remembered, except for scraps involving being chased and running for her life.

   2010, Irvin D. Yalom, Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death, →ISBN

   Zipping up my fly, i ran out of the park, ran without stopping, panicked, hysterical, ran for my life back to my dorm room.

   2013, Martin Duberman, The Martin Duberman Reader, →ISBN

   Instead of running for their lives, many Ukrainians grabbed whatever weapons they could find and ran to defend their towns and cities against an invading force armed with tanks and attack helicopters.

   December 7 2022, Simon Shuster, “2022 Person of the Year: Volodymyr Zelensky”, in Time, archived from the original on 04 Jan 2023

2. idiomaticTo attempt to escape an extremely unfavorable or unfortunate situation.

   A little voice, however, advised me: 'Run for your life, your place is on that beach.'

   2014, Amia Lieblich, Narratives of Positive Aging: Seaside Stories, →ISBN

   3 more examples

   Isn't the dating period supposed to be the period where they are getting to know each other and they are supposed to be in a daze about each other? What is your problem, Bella? Run for your life!

   2007, Bj Binning, Circumstances, →ISBN, page 9

   There are also times you must run for your life or be dragged away into “Dam! I Could of, I Should of, or If I would of land.

   2011, Machicote, Life Trials, →ISBN, page 9

   2017, Jennifer S. Holland, For These Monkeys, It’s a Fight for Survival., National Geographic (March 2017)http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/03/macaques-monkeys-indonesia-endangered-pet-trade/ Yaki have just one natural predator, the reticulated python, but they have many enemies. Land clearers are pushing the monkeys around. Roadbuilders are hemming them in. And outlaw trappers have them running for their lives.