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
Sudeikis shared his fondest memory of Wendt in a 2017 interview with The A.V. Club, recalling a white-knuckle drive in his uncle's BMW with his dad.
—Carson Blackwelder, People.com, 1 June 2025
To find immortality, Natalie Portman and John Krasinski first had to survive a white-knuckle car chase.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 24 May 2025
Each new incident expands the ranks of white-knuckle flyers, leaving them with shaken confidence.
—Allen Adamson, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
After the 1935 hurricane hastened the railway’s demise, the railroad bed was used for the new road and some of the railroad bridges were converted for cars — narrow, white-knuckle affairs that live on in memories, in ruins and in a span that’s recently been revived as a pedestrian and biking path.
—Marnie Hunter, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for white-knuckle
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Carson Blackwelder, People.com, 1 June 2025
To find immortality, Natalie Portman and John Krasinski first had to survive a white-knuckle car chase.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 24 May 2025
Each new incident expands the ranks of white-knuckle flyers, leaving them with shaken confidence.
—Allen Adamson, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
After the 1935 hurricane hastened the railway’s demise, the railroad bed was used for the new road and some of the railroad bridges were converted for cars — narrow, white-knuckle affairs that live on in memories, in ruins and in a span that’s recently been revived as a pedestrian and biking path.
—Marnie Hunter, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for white-knuckle
Cite this Entry
“White-knuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white-knuckle. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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