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
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
New York lost another heart-breaker in another finals rematch to Minnesota in its next game, while Las Vegas followed up its victory with a nail-biter in Phoenix, stealing an inbounds pass with less than four seconds to play to secure the win.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
The plan looked genius early in the season, when the Giants were winning nail-biters, walking off games with Little League and inside-the-park home runs and Wilmer Flores’ clutch hitting.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail-biter
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
New York lost another heart-breaker in another finals rematch to Minnesota in its next game, while Las Vegas followed up its victory with a nail-biter in Phoenix, stealing an inbounds pass with less than four seconds to play to secure the win.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
The plan looked genius early in the season, when the Giants were winning nail-biters, walking off games with Little League and inside-the-park home runs and Wilmer Flores’ clutch hitting.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail-biter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nail-biter
thriller
Noun
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As forThe Better Mother, van der Kleut hopes to attract readers of beloved thrillers — including everything from classics like Agatha Christie novels to modern stories like this summer's Don't Open Your Eyes.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
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During the film’s trailer reveal at CinemaCon earlier this year, Feig expressed the importance of making a dark psychological thriller for the big screen.—
Leia Mendoza,
Variety,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nail-biter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nail-biter. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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