Touch And Go Definition & Meaning

American

British

Cultural

Idioms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms touch and go 1 American

noun

1. a precarious or delicate state of affairs.

   It was touch and go there for a while during the operation.

2. quick action or movement.

   the touch and go of city traffic.

touch-and-go 2 American [tuhch-uhn-goh] / ˈtʌtʃ ənˈgoʊ /

adjective

1. risky; precarious.

   a touch-and-go descent down the mountain.

2. hasty, sketchy, or desultory.

touch and go British

adjective

1. (touch-and-go when prenominal) risky or critical

   a touch-and-go situation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 touch and go Cultural

1. Uncertain or precarious: “The doctors told the patient that, even though her disease was in remission, from now on it was touch and go.”

touch and go Idioms

1. Extremely uncertain or risky, as in It was touch and go after the surgery; we were not sure he'd survive it, or It was touch and go but they finally gave me a seat on the plane. This idiom implies that a mere touch may cause a calamity. [Early 1800s]

Etymology

Origin of touch and go1

First recorded in 1645–55

Origin of touch-and-go2

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In a heartfelt social media post late Saturday, Martyn said it was touch and go whether he would live and the experience was a reminder of "how fragile life is".

From Barron's

Touch and go perhaps, but the PDC know what they will be getting if he's included.

From BBC

But the appropriators have continued their work through this period… So it’s a touch and go day-by-day analysis that we have here as a leadership team.

From The Wall Street Journal

When the band started, it was as inspired by Modest Mouse as it was iconic Chicago hardcore label Touch and Go Records, the singer said.

From Los Angeles Times

An extract, published in the Times on Thursday, revealed that the late star got sepsis at the start of this year, and it "was really was touch and go" at one stage.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.