as in thriller
something (as a close contest) that induces much suspense as to its outcome
a presidential election that was one of the great nail-biters of all time
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Recent Examples of nail-biter
In Sunday’s vote, the Peronists trounced Milei’s right-libertarian party by a staggering 47% to 34%, a far cry from the nail-biter that many pollsters had predicted.
—
Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
The Dallas Cowboys dropped a 24-20 nail-biter to the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL season opener Thursday at Lincoln Financial Field.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
Across major corn-growing states, climate change is fueling conditions that make watching the corn grow a nail-biter for farmers.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2025
Louisville-area football fans saw some blowouts and some nail-biters Friday night.
—Rich Barak, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail-biter
Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
The Dallas Cowboys dropped a 24-20 nail-biter to the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL season opener Thursday at Lincoln Financial Field.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
Across major corn-growing states, climate change is fueling conditions that make watching the corn grow a nail-biter for farmers.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2025
Louisville-area football fans saw some blowouts and some nail-biters Friday night.
—Rich Barak, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail-biter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nail-biter
thriller
Noun
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Deadline’s virtual fall screening series For the Love of Docs kicks off its sixth season tonight with Antidote, the documentary thriller about Christo Grosev, the investigative journalist pursued around the world by the Kremlin.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
30 Sep. 2025
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Brazil is in turmoil in Kleber Mendonça Filho’s latest film, the political thriller The Secret Agent.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nail-biter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nail-biter. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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