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
New York native Danny Garcia edged Jacobs and North Carolina's Savannah Miller in what appeared to be a nail-biter of a final dual between Garcia and Jacobs.
—
Emmett Prosser, Journal Sentinel, 19 June 2024
Two Republicans aim to flip Colorado’s newest congressional district two years after Democrat won a nail-biter
A year out from Lauren Boebert’s next election, plenty of voters have had enough.
—John Aguilar, The Denver Post, 15 June 2024
The women, a No. 3 seed, their lowest in 19 years, were banished to the West Coast for their third- and fourth-round games and won nail-biters over Duke and Southern California.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 4 Apr. 2024
Still, the New Hampshire primary was not a nail-biter: The AP called the race immediately after polls closed.
—Tim Balk, New York Daily News, 23 Jan. 2024
Biden won Nevada in 2020 in a nail-biter, and the state is expected to once again be a critical battleground in this year’s election.
—Claudia Grisales, NPR, 7 June 2024
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
Emmett Prosser, Journal Sentinel, 19 June 2024
Two Republicans aim to flip Colorado’s newest congressional district two years after Democrat won a nail-biter
A year out from Lauren Boebert’s next election, plenty of voters have had enough.
—John Aguilar, The Denver Post, 15 June 2024
The women, a No. 3 seed, their lowest in 19 years, were banished to the West Coast for their third- and fourth-round games and won nail-biters over Duke and Southern California.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 4 Apr. 2024
Still, the New Hampshire primary was not a nail-biter: The AP called the race immediately after polls closed.
—Tim Balk, New York Daily News, 23 Jan. 2024
Biden won Nevada in 2020 in a nail-biter, and the state is expected to once again be a critical battleground in this year’s election.
—Claudia Grisales, NPR, 7 June 2024
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
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 4 Jul. 2024.
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