Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
make-or-break
adjective
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ The last couple of games were make-or-break.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ For Dino Morelli and Kevin McGarrity it is a make-or-break year.
▪ Niki somehow felt this was a make-or-break race for him; his pride was dented, his dander up.
▪ The make-or-break factor in this delicate post-course period is the attitude of the person's immediate superior.
Wiktionary
make-or-break
a. Resulting in either success or failure. alt. Resulting in either success or failure.
Usage examples of "make-or-break".
There was a war for survival under way, with Zhirrzh beachheads under constant threat and an assault fleet poised for a make-or-break attack on the Human-Conqueror surveillance installations on Phormbi.
Mastering the complexities of the Cadre augmentation package was the real make-or-break point for any potential drop commando.
Here, now, was the make-or-break point for his scheme, and all the persiflage, verbal misdirection, charm, chutzpah, and bullshit he could muster weren't going to be enough, not even tied up with a big blue bow.