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
Tens of millions of Americans have already voted, and tens of millions more are now casting ballots for either former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris in a nail-biter of an election.
—
Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024
But there are still many nail-biters with huge implications:
California could very likely decide whether the U.S. House of Representatives stays Republican or flips to Democratic control.
—Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
Polls point to a nail-biter presidential race, but many of our local and state races are likely to have predictable outcomes.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 30 Oct. 2024
The Supreme Court chose the winner of the 2000 election, which came down to a nail-biter in Florida.
—Lavanya Ramanathan, Vox, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nail-biter 
Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024
But there are still many nail-biters with huge implications:
California could very likely decide whether the U.S. House of Representatives stays Republican or flips to Democratic control.
—Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
Polls point to a nail-biter presidential race, but many of our local and state races are likely to have predictable outcomes.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 30 Oct. 2024
The Supreme Court chose the winner of the 2000 election, which came down to a nail-biter in Florida.
—Lavanya Ramanathan, Vox, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nail-biter
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Cite this Entry
“Nail-biter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nail-biter. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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