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
Flying to Montserrat requires connecting journeys from nearby Antigua and involves travelling on small STOL (short takeoff and landing) aircraft, providing much more of a white-knuckle ride than your typical airliner.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
The ferry arrived, and my husband, Rob, white-knuckled our suitcases onto the ship.
—Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 29 Sep. 2025
The publication calls it a white-knuckle favorite standing more than 200 feet high and featuring outrageous maneuvers.
—Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Sep. 2025
Advertisement Advertisement That filmmaking philosophy resulted in several modern-day drawn-from-the-headlines classics, including titles like Captain Phillips and United 93, and even informed the breathtaking white-knuckle aesthetics of his Bourne franchise films.
—Tomris Laffly, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for white-knuckle
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.
Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
The ferry arrived, and my husband, Rob, white-knuckled our suitcases onto the ship.
—Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 29 Sep. 2025
The publication calls it a white-knuckle favorite standing more than 200 feet high and featuring outrageous maneuvers.
—Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Sep. 2025
Advertisement Advertisement That filmmaking philosophy resulted in several modern-day drawn-from-the-headlines classics, including titles like Captain Phillips and United 93, and even informed the breathtaking white-knuckle aesthetics of his Bourne franchise films.
—Tomris Laffly, Time, 6 Sep. 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 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share