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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That prevented a walk-off fielder’s choice and set the stage for the equally breathtaking play that ensued.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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Given how much of the story takes place in a confined setting, when one character launches themselves across a table to attack another, the moment is breathtaking.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Shirley Valentine serves as an escape for those who envision a life more exciting, a fact to which Collins attributed its success.—
Lisa de los Reyes,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
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Surveying the broader landscape of AI benchmarks, Mahdi said researchers and developers have many exciting avenues to explore.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Johnson emphasized that the same was happening with him personally after the thrilling Game 7, as people who didn't tune in to an MLB game recently were brought back in by the Dodgers' run.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Perhaps the most thrilling part of diving in Nevis, however, is the many shipwrecks which all have a story.—
Adrienne Jordan,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Suddenly, sincerity felt like a fresher approach to a contemporary political story—more interesting, more unexpected, and more aligned with my artistic ethos.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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Krasinski also has the least interesting yet very successful Hollywood career imaginable, but that doesn’t mean he should be exiled or worse.—
Choire Sicha,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heart-stopping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heart-stopping. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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