nail-biter
noun
nail-bit·er
ˈnāl-ˌbī-tər 
: something (such as a close contest) that induces tension or anxiety
Examples of nail-biter in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even the two teams' closest matchups during this tournament haven't been true nail-biters.
—
NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
His nerves about reaching the falsetto at the end made watching his performance a nail-biter.
—Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
For millions of Americans, spring weather is making this eclipse a nail-biter: Will clouds spoil their view?
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 8 Apr. 2024
The game that ended 71-69 was a nail-biter with a one-point margin until the final seconds.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
The Guardians promptly scored three runs in the eighth off A’s relievers Lucas Erceg and Austin Adams, setting the stage for a ninth-inning nail-biter.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
On Friday, Netflix will release Julien Leclercq’s The Wages of Fear, a new French feature adaptation of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1953 French adventure thriller of the same name (which William Friedkin used as the basis for his 1977 nail-biter Sorcerer).
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
In this nail-biter from Brian De Palma, John Travolta stars as an audio engineer who records a car crash and inadvertently discovers a political scandal.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 27 Mar. 2024
How did Trump manage to hold on and maintain a comfortable margin in a state that has long been an Election Night nail-biter?
—Ron Elving, NPR, 23 Mar. 2024
NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
His nerves about reaching the falsetto at the end made watching his performance a nail-biter.
—Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
For millions of Americans, spring weather is making this eclipse a nail-biter: Will clouds spoil their view?
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 8 Apr. 2024
The game that ended 71-69 was a nail-biter with a one-point margin until the final seconds.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
The Guardians promptly scored three runs in the eighth off A’s relievers Lucas Erceg and Austin Adams, setting the stage for a ninth-inning nail-biter.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
On Friday, Netflix will release Julien Leclercq’s The Wages of Fear, a new French feature adaptation of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1953 French adventure thriller of the same name (which William Friedkin used as the basis for his 1977 nail-biter Sorcerer).
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
In this nail-biter from Brian De Palma, John Travolta stars as an audio engineer who records a car crash and inadvertently discovers a political scandal.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 27 Mar. 2024
How did Trump manage to hold on and maintain a comfortable margin in a state that has long been an Election Night nail-biter?
—Ron Elving, NPR, 23 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nail-biter.' 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 nail-biter
Cite this Entry
“Nail-biter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nail-biter. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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