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
BofA doesn’t project any scenarios in the event of a recession, but with the economy stalling out for job-hoppers, the workforce is in white-knuckle mode, holding on tight.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2025
Somewhere in the blur of a white-knuckle pitching duel, Will Vest looked at teammates in the Detroit Tigers bullpen and made a joke.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
In recent years, he's fully leaned into action, headlining the Taken series (2008–2014) in addition to white-knuckle flicks like The Grey (2011), The Commuter (2018), and Retribution (2023).
—Allison Degrushe Published, EW.com, 2 Aug. 2025
In the first trailer for white-knuckle thriller The Lost Bus, a wayward bus driver (Matthew McConaughey) answers a distress call for a classroom of kids trapped in Ponderosa Elementary School.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for white-knuckle
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Jason Ma, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2025
Somewhere in the blur of a white-knuckle pitching duel, Will Vest looked at teammates in the Detroit Tigers bullpen and made a joke.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
In recent years, he's fully leaned into action, headlining the Taken series (2008–2014) in addition to white-knuckle flicks like The Grey (2011), The Commuter (2018), and Retribution (2023).
—Allison Degrushe Published, EW.com, 2 Aug. 2025
In the first trailer for white-knuckle thriller The Lost Bus, a wayward bus driver (Matthew McConaughey) answers a distress call for a classroom of kids trapped in Ponderosa Elementary School.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 29 July 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 5 Sep. 2025.
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