as in thrillers
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
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Recent Examples of nail-biters
As spooky season approaches, there’s no better time than now to revisit these classic nail-biters—and revel in their impeccable period styling.
—
Radhika Seth, Vogue, 13 Sep. 2025
Louisville-area football fans saw some blowouts and some nail-biters Friday night.
—Rich Barak, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 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
Radhika Seth, Vogue, 13 Sep. 2025
Louisville-area football fans saw some blowouts and some nail-biters Friday night.
—Rich Barak, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nail-biters
thrillers
Noun
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Most good thrillers escalate gradually, with each twist surpassing the last.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
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Based on the spy thrillers by Mick Herron, the series focuses on rumpled MI5 agent Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) and his misfit spy team.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nail-biters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nail-biters. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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