touch-and-go

adjective
UK: /ˌtʌtʃ.ən.ˈɡəʊ/
US: /ˌtʌtʃ.ən.ˈɡoʊ/

  1. A situation that is uncertain or dangerous and could easily fail.

    1. The surgery was touch-and-go for a while, but he's recovering now.
    2. After the accident, it was touch-and-go whether he would survive, given the severity of his injuries.

Synonyms

risky dicey precarious chancy unstable uncertain
touch-and-go noun

  1. A landing made by an aircraft in which the wheels touch the runway briefly before taking off again.

    1. The pilot practiced touch-and-go landings.
    2. During training, pilots often perform touch-and-go maneuvers to improve their landing skills.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "touch-and-go" is /ˌtʌtʃ.ən.ˈɡəʊ/ in British English and /ˌtʌtʃ.ən.ˈɡoʊ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "touch-and-go": risky, dicey, precarious, chancy, unstable, uncertain.

Example usage of "touch-and-go": "The surgery was touch-and-go for a while, but he's recovering now.". More examples on the page.