nail-biter
Americannoun
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a person who bites their nails, especially habitually.
-
a situation marked by anxiety or tension.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nail-biter
1970–75
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Tuesday, in Argentina’s World Cup round-of-16 nail-biter against Egypt, Messi missed another one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
On Sunday, McCullum was seen sending messages via walkie-talkie to the England players during drinks breaks as they squeezed home against Nepal in a last-ball nail-biter in Mumbai.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
“Warning Signs” promises to be even more of a nail-biter than Sierra’s debut, a deepening of her examination of families in extremis, which should earn it a top spot in readers’ TBR list.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026
Two costly fumbles and two interceptions led to a nail-biter of a playoff game.
From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2026
He'd been a nail-biter when he was a kid, but he'd kicked the habit when we got to high school.
From Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
