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 of heart-stopping

• breathtaking
• exciting
• thrilling
• interesting

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

Tuffy’s 16 saves in the third, including a pair of heart-stopping stuffs in the final minute, sealed a memorable performance. —Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 21 Jan. 2026

From here, hiking trails trace ancient routes used by shepherds and traders, edging along precipices with heart-stopping views into the void below. —Anna Zacharias, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Jan. 2026

Unlike a heart-stopping fourth-quarter rally against Baltimore that earned them their first AFC North title since 2020, this time there was no late-game magic from Rodgers and the Steelers. —Will Graves, Twin Cities, 13 Jan. 2026

The Steelers won the AFC North with a heart-stopping 26-24 win over Baltimore on Sunday night. —CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heart-stopping

• eavesdropping
• outcropping
• sharecropping
• chopping
• copping
• cropping
• dropping
• flopping
• hopping
• lopping
• mopping
• popping