From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishnail-bitingˈnail-ˌbiting adjective [only before noun] EXCITEDextremely exciting because you do not know what is going to happen next The match went all the way to a nail-biting finish. some nail-biting moments near the end of the movie► see thesaurus at exciting
Examples from the Corpus
nail-biting• It had been a nail-biting day glued to the television.• The rescue scene makes a nice, nail-biting finale.• A nail-biting finish, but finally won by Moira Creek at her first attempt and a complete stranger to Pooh culture.• But if they drop points, Leicester City or Derby County could triumph in a nail-biting finish.• The World Series provided a number of nail-biting moments.• Years of negotiations to secure the exhibition, which runs Saturday through Oct. 26, often were marked by nail-biting moments. 