be fighting for (one's)/its life

1. To be close to death, but with the possibility of recovery. Chris is fighting for his life after that accident. The doctors aren't sure that he'll survive the night. She's been fighting for her life for days—she really needs an organ transplant. Mom told me that Uncle Ed is fighting for his life and that I should get to the hospital as soon as I can.

2. To be close to failure, but with the possibility of recovery. Because the business is fighting for its life right now, layoffs are imminent. A: "If the actress was involved in that fraud scandal, that's a PR disaster for her." B: "I know, she's fighting for her life now." I hope this donation drive sustains our charitable organization—it's been fighting for its life for a while now.

be fighting for your life

COMMON

1. If someone is fighting for their life, they are seriously ill or injured and are in danger of dying. A boy aged 15 was fighting for his life last night but two younger children were said to be out of danger. A toddler is fighting for his life after being run over by a boy who was playing in his father's car. Note: You can also talk about a fight for life. Mary won a desperate fight for life but was left paralysed from the waist down.

2. If an organization or country is fighting for its life, it is in danger of failing or being defeated. An ancient Scottish university institution is fighting for its life. Note: You can put an adjective in front of life to show that a person, organization or country is fighting to save a particular thing related to their existence. Sir Nicholas will be fighting for his political life when he appears before the inquiry in a fortnight. What we are seeing is a country fighting for its moral life.