nail-biter

US: /ˈneɪlˌbaɪtɚ/ ,(nāl′bī′tər)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

nail-bit•er /ˈneɪlˌbaɪtɚ/  n. [countable]

1. a situation that is marked by anxiety or tension.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

nail-bit•er  (nāl′bī′tər), n. 

1. a person who bites his or her nails, esp. habitually.
2. a situation marked by anxiety or tension.

• 1970–75

nail-bit•er  (nāl′bī′tər), n. 

1. a person who bites his or her nails, esp. habitually.
2. a situation marked by anxiety or tension.

• 1970–75

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

nail-bit•ing  (nāl′bī′ting), n. 

1. the act or practice of biting one's fingernails, esp. as the result of anxiety or nervousness.
2. Informal Terms nervousness:
   The announcement that the trade agreement had been signed ended a week of nail-biting on Wall Street.

adj. 

3. Informal Terms causing nervousness:
   The nail-biting part of the canoe trip was through the stretches of white water.

• 1890–95

nail′-bit′er, n.