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.
Greengrass has always excelled at turning real-life horrors into heart-stopping movies, but this particular vision of Hell on Earth is on another level. Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2025 Hammarby only just qualified for the game against Manchester United with a heart-stopping victory over Metalist Kharkiv from Ukraine. Asif Burhan, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025 At one point, MacLachlan orchestrates a heart-stopping moment of reckoning for Bill and Tammy, written with a sudden, cathartic directness—a break in their usual language of deferential hesitations—which the actors underplay to perfection. Justin Chang, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025 After nearly a year of planning, a group of four foxes made a heart-stopping journey from Russia to Santa Ysabel in late June, avoiding war, diverted flights and even missiles along the way. Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Heart-stopping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heart-stopping. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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