heart-stopping

adjective

heart-stop·​ping ˈhärt-ˌstä-piŋ 

: extremely shocking or exciting

a heart-stopping adventure

heart-stopping views

heart-stoppingly adverb

a heart-stoppingly suspenseful film

a heart-stoppingly beautiful view

Synonyms

• breathtaking
• charged
• electric
• electrifying
• exciting
• exhilarating
• exhilarative
• galvanic
• galvanizing
• hair-raising
• inspiring
• intoxicating
• kicky
• mind-bending
• mind-blowing
• mind-boggling
• rip-roaring
• rousing
• stimulating
• stirring
• thrilling

Examples of heart-stopping in a Sentence

the movie's climax is a heart-stopping chase through the streets of San Francisco

Recent Examples on the Web

Director Jum Bung-shik makes clever use of the spooky location and visual format, leading to several moments of heart-stopping terror. —EW.com, 2 June 2024

As the players raced to one another, exulting in yet another heart-stopping, nerve-shredding win, staff members sprinted onto the field after them, ensuring each star was correctly attired. —Rory Smith, New York Times, 1 June 2024

There are heart-stopping, floor-to-ceiling views high over Bhutan’s main river: the sedate, meandering Mo Chhu, flowing below terraced rice paddies and forests of pine. —Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Dec. 2023

Expect more raw action, heart-stopping suspense, and a whole lot of righteous fury. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 18 May 2024

This is a wildly entertaining — if also heart-stopping and occasionally infuriating — expansion franchise in the National Women’s Soccer League. Ahead or behind, early or late, Bay FC is going for it. —Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2024

Writer-director Garland’s vision of a near-future America at war with itself has ravishing moments, an incredible central performance from Kirsten Dunst, and a heart-stopping pace. —Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024

After a heart-stopping semifinal where the U.S. men’s national soccer team just edged out Jamaica with a score of 3-2, the 2024 CONCACAF Nations League Final moves onto the championship match featuring the top two national soccer teams — the United States and Mexico — in the Americas. —Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Mar. 2024

Dazzling illumination and overwhelming orchestral effect, not color, made this heart-stopping. —Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above