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
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Recent Examples of nail-biter
The Music Box continues its series celebrating nail-biters centered on prison breaks.
—
Jennifer Day, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
There's been thrillers, nail-biters, and a couple of upsets in the men's tournament.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is polling far behind his opposition rival heading into next month’s presidential election, but a glut of undecided voters could make the final results a nail-biter.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 17 Mar. 2026
The Best Actor race was a nail-biter right down to the final seconds.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nail-biter
Jennifer Day, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
There's been thrillers, nail-biters, and a couple of upsets in the men's tournament.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is polling far behind his opposition rival heading into next month’s presidential election, but a glut of undecided voters could make the final results a nail-biter.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 17 Mar. 2026
The Best Actor race was a nail-biter right down to the final seconds.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nail-biter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nail-biter
thriller
Noun
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In fact, one of my chief complaints about some contemporary thrillers is the feeling that characters are required to do dumb stuff by the unseen hand of the author, just so more crazy twists can happen.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
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The crime thriller is understood to also be a political and moral fable, as the title, which is a nod to Greek mythology, hints at.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nail-biter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nail-biter. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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