nail-biting

UK: /ˈneɪlbaɪtɪŋ/ US: (nāl′bī′ting)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

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. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

nail-biting noun

1. the act or habit of biting one's fingernails
2. anxiety or tension
3. (as modifier): nail-biting suspense