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
Needless to say, the prototypes got a bit bent and the pilots ended up in full white-knuckle mode.
—New Atlas, 8 Jan. 2026
Letting that loss linger and turn into back-to-back losses would have been a bad sign about Buffalo’s ability to handle the rigors of what is going to be a white-knuckle playoff race in the Eastern Conference.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
There's macho panache and white-knuckle action sequences aplenty as Pitt's eccentric Formula 1 veteran plays reluctant mentor to a hotshot rookie (Damson Idris).
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025
In the video after his thrilling run, Flav can be heard howling in delight at the white-knuckle ride down the icy shoot.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for white-knuckle
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New Atlas, 8 Jan. 2026
Letting that loss linger and turn into back-to-back losses would have been a bad sign about Buffalo’s ability to handle the rigors of what is going to be a white-knuckle playoff race in the Eastern Conference.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
There's macho panache and white-knuckle action sequences aplenty as Pitt's eccentric Formula 1 veteran plays reluctant mentor to a hotshot rookie (Damson Idris).
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025
In the video after his thrilling run, Flav can be heard howling in delight at the white-knuckle ride down the icy shoot.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Oct. 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 13 Jan. 2026.
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