white-knuckle
adjective
white-knuck·le
ˈ(h)wīt-ˈnə-kəl 
variants
or less commonly white-knuckled
: marked by, causing, or experiencing tense nervousness
a white-knuckle ride on a roller coaster
a white-knuckle passenger
white-knuckler
noun
plural white-knucklers
The 65-mile speedway connecting Vancouver and the mountain town of Whistler was a white-knuckler for decades.
—
Christian DeBenedetti
Christian DeBenedetti
Examples of white-knuckle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The only thing anyone seemingly can count on is this being a white-knuckle ride the whole way.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 June 2024
Its buildings are brimming with original artifacts, and travelers can access the town via two separate entry points (the 10-mile stretch of road off of Highway 200 is easier to navigate than the white-knuckle climb up Bear Gulch Road).
—Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 May 2023
During a 2017 visit to Paris, Trump forced Macron into a bizarre, 29-second white-knuckle handshake.
—Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022
Few put together an action scene with jaw-dropping gunfights and white-knuckle crashes that energize all the senses like Miller.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 21 May 2024
At eight episodes, of course, the show can’t possibly be the white-knuckle trip that the film was.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 4 May 2024
Thus, the film’s white-knuckle finale boils down to a miniscule misstep, one that reveals how espionage is vulnerable even to a grain of sand.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
And Jones delivers plenty of thrills as our heroes cover 435 miles in five-plus days, peaking in a zip-line misadventure packed with white-knuckle antics and tension-cutting quips.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024
The director goes full white-knuckle thrill ride in its sequel, orchestrating a glorious sandworm riding sequence that took 44 days to shoot.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024
Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 June 2024
Its buildings are brimming with original artifacts, and travelers can access the town via two separate entry points (the 10-mile stretch of road off of Highway 200 is easier to navigate than the white-knuckle climb up Bear Gulch Road).
—Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 May 2023
During a 2017 visit to Paris, Trump forced Macron into a bizarre, 29-second white-knuckle handshake.
—Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022
Few put together an action scene with jaw-dropping gunfights and white-knuckle crashes that energize all the senses like Miller.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 21 May 2024
At eight episodes, of course, the show can’t possibly be the white-knuckle trip that the film was.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 4 May 2024
Thus, the film’s white-knuckle finale boils down to a miniscule misstep, one that reveals how espionage is vulnerable even to a grain of sand.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
And Jones delivers plenty of thrills as our heroes cover 435 miles in five-plus days, peaking in a zip-line misadventure packed with white-knuckle antics and tension-cutting quips.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024
The director goes full white-knuckle thrill ride in its sequel, orchestrating a glorious sandworm riding sequence that took 44 days to shoot.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'white-knuckle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near white-knuckle
Cite this Entry
“White-knuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white-knuckle. Accessed 17 Jun. 2024.
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