heart-stopping

adjective

heart-stop·​ping ˈhärt-ˌstä-piŋ How to pronounce heart-stopping (audio)
: extremely shocking or exciting
a heart-stopping adventure
heart-stopping views
heart-stoppingly adverb
a heart-stoppingly suspenseful film
a heart-stoppingly beautiful view

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Phil Mickelson, known for his unfiltered opinions on everything from golf to politics, recently witnessed a heart-stopping incident that had nothing to do with his usual criticisms. Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 May 2025 The official’s review and announcement that the basket occurred just a tenth of a second before the buzzer sounded took several heart-stopping minutes. Tony Jones, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025 That was a little heart-stopping, and was one of the things that Hayes talked about after the match. Emily Olsen, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025 His car flipped, landed on its roof and skidded to a halt in a harrowing, heart-stopping show of sparks and flames. Mark Long, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heart-stopping

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heart-stopping was in 1888

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heart-stopping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heart-stopping. Accessed 25 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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