nail-biter
noun
nail-bit·er
ˈnāl-ˌbī-tər 
: something (such as a close contest) that induces tension or anxiety
Examples of nail-biter in a Sentence
a presidential election that was one of the great nail-biters of all time
Recent Examples on the Web
Octopussy is a classic cloak-and-dagger nail-biter about a scheme by a rogue Russian general (Steven Berkoff) to detonate a nuke on an American military base in Germany.
—
Chris Nashawaty, EW.com, 29 May 2024
The next week the Dolphins lost a 21-14 fourth-quarter nail-biter to the Buffalo Bills, at home, in a winner-take-all AFC East division battle.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 29 May 2024
Exhausted after the two-and-a-half-hour nail-biter, UCLA’s Cooper Robinson was doubled over with his hands on his knees during the celebration.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2024
The unique nail-biter takes place in the shadows of L.A.’s homeless camps, run-down motels and dark alleys, following women who have turned — for various reasons — to a life of crime.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Though many Kennedys have previously praised Biden, their decision to formally endorse him as a unit deals a heavy blow to RFK Jr.'s independent presidential campaign, which has unnerved Democrats in a nail-biter of an election year.
—Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
Guy Ritchie, though, does a much more stimulating job with this nail-biter about a secret wartime operation.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
In addition to being a great family comedy movie, Jumanji is also a real nail-biter.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2024
The abrupt cut-away from the broadcast had some X users comparing to the infamous moment in 1968 when NBC jumped from a nail-biter New York Jets/Oakland Raiders football game to switch to children’s movie Heidi.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 15 Apr. 2024
Chris Nashawaty, EW.com, 29 May 2024
The next week the Dolphins lost a 21-14 fourth-quarter nail-biter to the Buffalo Bills, at home, in a winner-take-all AFC East division battle.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 29 May 2024
Exhausted after the two-and-a-half-hour nail-biter, UCLA’s Cooper Robinson was doubled over with his hands on his knees during the celebration.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2024
The unique nail-biter takes place in the shadows of L.A.’s homeless camps, run-down motels and dark alleys, following women who have turned — for various reasons — to a life of crime.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Though many Kennedys have previously praised Biden, their decision to formally endorse him as a unit deals a heavy blow to RFK Jr.'s independent presidential campaign, which has unnerved Democrats in a nail-biter of an election year.
—Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
Guy Ritchie, though, does a much more stimulating job with this nail-biter about a secret wartime operation.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
In addition to being a great family comedy movie, Jumanji is also a real nail-biter.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2024
The abrupt cut-away from the broadcast had some X users comparing to the infamous moment in 1968 when NBC jumped from a nail-biter New York Jets/Oakland Raiders football game to switch to children’s movie Heidi.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 15 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nail-biter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near nail-biter
Cite this Entry
“Nail-biter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nail-biter. Accessed 2 Jun. 2024.
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