nailbiter
Britishnoun
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a person who bites his or her nails
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a person who is anxious or tense
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something that causes anxiety or tension
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.
The following season, the Bruins lost again in the Sweet 16, this time in a 78-69 nailbiter against Louisiana State.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026
Sharp, dark and humorous, it's a real nailbiter.
From BBC • Dec. 24, 2025
And she is pondering doing so again after letting her 9-year-old son stay up late to watch the nailbiter of a finish.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 12, 2024
"Now, Kari, this seemed like a race you'd easily win, yet it's been a real nailbiter," says Heidi Gardner as Fox host Ainsley Earhardt.
From Salon • Nov. 13, 2022
It’s a nailbiter, but I expect the more self-consciously “big” performance to edge it, with Washington joining the likes of Meryl Streep in the elite three-timer club.
From The Guardian • Feb. 23, 2017
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.
