white-knuckle

adjective

white-knuck·​le ˈ(h)wīt-ˈnə-kəl How to pronounce white-knuckle (audio)
variants or less commonly white-knuckled
: marked by, causing, or experiencing tense nervousness
a white-knuckle ride on a roller coaster
a white-knuckle passenger
white-knuckler noun
plural white-knucklers
The 65-mile speedway connecting Vancouver and the mountain town of Whistler was a white-knuckler for decades. Christian DeBenedetti

Examples of white-knuckle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
This article contains spoilers for The Recruit season 1. Netflix's white-knuckle spy show The Recruit returns for its second season on Jan. 30, 2025, which is good news for those still chewing on season 1's cliffhanger ending. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 29 Jan. 2025 Sean Payton will find himself in rhythm with the run game — meaning Bo Nix is a big part of it on RPOs — as the Broncos advance to the playoffs with a white-knuckle win. Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 5 Jan. 2025 Then there are the white-knuckle car rides through the Pacific Northwest as an unstoppable cosmic maelstrom rips through its pristine wilderness. Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024 Of course, that would’ve required a significant level of faith to hold onto Nvidia through some white-knuckle market downturns like the Great Financial Crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Federal Reserve’s most aggressive rate-hiking campaign in over 40 years. Jason Ma, Fortune, 1 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for white-knuckle 

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of white-knuckle was in 1872

Dictionary Entries Near white-knuckle

Cite this Entry

“White-knuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white-knuckle. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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