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
The movie veers from character study and brother bonding to an action nail-biter.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 26 Apr. 2025
The fourth rotation was a nail-biter for both fan bases.
—Henry Chappell, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2025
Once the second half started, Marshfield tried to grind the game back into a nail-biter.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2025
The blobfish, which lives mainly in waters off the southeastern coast of mainland Australia, the Australian island of Tasmania and New Zealand, emerged victorious with almost 1,300 out of more than 5,500 votes in this year’s nail-biter of a race.
—Peter Guo, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail-biter
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.
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 26 Apr. 2025
The fourth rotation was a nail-biter for both fan bases.
—Henry Chappell, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2025
Once the second half started, Marshfield tried to grind the game back into a nail-biter.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2025
The blobfish, which lives mainly in waters off the southeastern coast of mainland Australia, the Australian island of Tasmania and New Zealand, emerged victorious with almost 1,300 out of more than 5,500 votes in this year’s nail-biter of a race.
—Peter Guo, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail-biter
Cite this Entry
“Nail-biter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nail-biter. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share