as in thriller
something (as a close contest) that induces much suspense as to its outcome
a presidential election that was one of the great nail-biters of all time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of nail-biter
Louisville-area football fans saw some blowouts and some nail-biters Friday night.
—
Rich Barak, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Aug. 2025
New York lost another heart-breaker in another finals rematch to Minnesota in its next game, while Las Vegas followed up its victory with a nail-biter in Phoenix, stealing an inbounds pass with less than four seconds to play to secure the win.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
The plan looked genius early in the season, when the Giants were winning nail-biters, walking off games with Little League and inside-the-park home runs and Wilmer Flores’ clutch hitting.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
The final was a nail-biter, Slawson leading the entire heat until Herdy took a last-second wave, the surfers and crowd awaiting the score to drop.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail-biter
Rich Barak, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Aug. 2025
New York lost another heart-breaker in another finals rematch to Minnesota in its next game, while Las Vegas followed up its victory with a nail-biter in Phoenix, stealing an inbounds pass with less than four seconds to play to secure the win.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
The plan looked genius early in the season, when the Giants were winning nail-biters, walking off games with Little League and inside-the-park home runs and Wilmer Flores’ clutch hitting.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
The final was a nail-biter, Slawson leading the entire heat until Herdy took a last-second wave, the surfers and crowd awaiting the score to drop.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail-biter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nail-biter
thriller
Noun
-
Bateman's character, Vince Friedken, battles a gambling addiction in a trailer for the crime thriller, as Law's Jake Friedken celebrates the growing success of his buzzy establishment.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
-
According to the prince, the couple has been tuning into the political thriller Hostage — and, surprisingly, the hit reality dating show Love Is Blind.—
Erin Hill,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nail-biter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nail-biter. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share