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