From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishheart-stoppingˈheart-ˌstopping adjective very exciting or frightening
Examples from the Corpus
heart-stopping• And a brake system that's anything but heart-stopping.• He held her - just for one heart-stopping, breathtaking moment.• There were some heart-stopping moments in the Town goalmouth, but they survived and nearly ran off with a win.• I need to summon my courage for its wild, exhilarating, heart-stopping ride.• Seven came back quite close together, then there was a heart-stopping silence which went on and on.• Few things are as instantly heart-stopping to a computer user as the time when his machine starts to behave erratically.• Terrified that he would guess her wanton reaction to the heart-stopping touch of his hand, Isabel jerked her head away. 