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
For the Bengals, the Ravens matchup has been a tough one: Cincinnati has lost each of the past three games, including last year’s nail-biter, 35-34.
—
Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 27 May 2025
The games have been, for the most part, nail-biters – unpredictable, competitive matchups that appear to be sowing the seeds for a new wave of NBA superstars and team rivalries that should play out for years to come.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 26 May 2025
During the opener, junior right-hander Matt Reardon tossed five innings for the win, surrendering just two runs on three hits while striking out six, as BC High (11-8) knocked off Plymouth North in a 4-3 nail-biter.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 24 May 2025
That bill will have to line up with the House version, which is just one provision of the massive Big Beautiful Bill, which passed in a nail-biter 215-214 vote.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail-biter
Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 27 May 2025
The games have been, for the most part, nail-biters – unpredictable, competitive matchups that appear to be sowing the seeds for a new wave of NBA superstars and team rivalries that should play out for years to come.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 26 May 2025
During the opener, junior right-hander Matt Reardon tossed five innings for the win, surrendering just two runs on three hits while striking out six, as BC High (11-8) knocked off Plymouth North in a 4-3 nail-biter.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 24 May 2025
That bill will have to line up with the House version, which is just one provision of the massive Big Beautiful Bill, which passed in a nail-biter 215-214 vote.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail-biter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nail-biter
thriller
Noun
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The studio’s live-action division also continues to develop projects including action thriller Seventeen; Crumble, to be written and directed by Brian Duffield, with Phil Lord and Chris Miller producing; and an untitled pic marking the directorial debut of Dune scribe Jon Spaihts.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
6 June 2025
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Remember, the Pacers needed six 3s in about five minutes from Aaron Nesmith in Game 1 against New York just to set up Haliburton’s previous thriller.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nail-biter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nail-biter. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
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