as in breathtaking
causing great emotional or mental stimulation
the movie's climax is a heart-stopping chase through the streets of San Francisco
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Recent Examples of heart-stopping
Greengrass has always excelled at turning real-life horrors into heart-stopping movies, but this particular vision of Hell on Earth is on another level.
—
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2025
At one point, MacLachlan orchestrates a heart-stopping moment of reckoning for Bill and Tammy, written with a sudden, cathartic directness—a break in their usual language of deferential hesitations—which the actors underplay to perfection.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
After nearly a year of planning, a group of four foxes made a heart-stopping journey from Russia to Santa Ysabel in late June, avoiding war, diverted flights and even missiles along the way.
—Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
Festivalgoers at a major music event found themselves in a heart-stopping situation after a popular amusement ride suddenly shut down, leaving several people stranded upside down in the air.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heart-stopping
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2025
At one point, MacLachlan orchestrates a heart-stopping moment of reckoning for Bill and Tammy, written with a sudden, cathartic directness—a break in their usual language of deferential hesitations—which the actors underplay to perfection.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
After nearly a year of planning, a group of four foxes made a heart-stopping journey from Russia to Santa Ysabel in late June, avoiding war, diverted flights and even missiles along the way.
—Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
Festivalgoers at a major music event found themselves in a heart-stopping situation after a popular amusement ride suddenly shut down, leaving several people stranded upside down in the air.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heart-stopping
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heart-stopping
Adjective
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The rock formations of the Burren in County Clare create a barren but breathtaking landscape that stretches out to the sea.—
Bernadette Keith,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Oct. 2025
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Black Swan excels by offering breathtaking dance choreography, and the film's gorgeous cinematography provides viewers with a tapestry of imagery unparalleled by most psychological horror films.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Watching these flux ropes in the simulation form so quickly and move toward Earth was exciting, but concerning.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
24 Oct. 2025
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Prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2024, Luis Perales had broken out as one of the Red Sox’s most exciting minor league pitchers.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Created by the visionary behind the Oscar-winning Pinocchio (2022), this Emmy-winning anthology horror series presents eight visually thrilling, nightmarish tales, ranging from colossal rats to alien parasites.—
Kelsie Gibson,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
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The Thunder’s pregame party was the result of outlasting the Indiana Pacers in seven thrilling, competitive finals games.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Because that could really be interesting.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
22 Oct. 2025
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This has created interesting bedfellows, where politicians on both sides of the aisle increasingly agree that regulations must be streamlined to support supply.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heart-stopping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heart-stopping. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
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