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
The biggest was the nail-biter that went down to the final second as LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers battled Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors (Lakers prevailed 115-113), which grabbed 7.8 million viewers, peaking in the final half-hour with 8.2 million.
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Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 26 Dec. 2024
The outcomes ranged from nail-biters to decisive blowouts.
—Giovanni Malloy, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
In the final outstanding race for the U.S. House of Representatives, Merced Democrat Adam Gray ousted Republican incumbent Rep. John Duarte in a nail-biter of a race in the Central Valley.
—Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
Los Angeles Rams 21, New Orleans Saints 14: The Rams pulled out a nail-biter, as Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi had his first loss and Taysom Hill was carted off the field.
—Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nail-biter 
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 26 Dec. 2024
The outcomes ranged from nail-biters to decisive blowouts.
—Giovanni Malloy, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
In the final outstanding race for the U.S. House of Representatives, Merced Democrat Adam Gray ousted Republican incumbent Rep. John Duarte in a nail-biter of a race in the Central Valley.
—Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
Los Angeles Rams 21, New Orleans Saints 14: The Rams pulled out a nail-biter, as Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi had his first loss and Taysom Hill was carted off the field.
—Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 2 Dec. 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 20 Jan. 2025.
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