heart-stopping

adjective

heart-stop·​ping ˈhärt-ˌstä-piŋ How to pronounce heart-stopping (audio)
Synonyms of heart-stoppingnext
: extremely shocking or exciting
a heart-stopping adventure
heart-stopping views
heart-stoppingly adverb
a heart-stoppingly suspenseful film
a heart-stoppingly beautiful view

Examples of heart-stopping in a Sentence

the movie's climax is a heart-stopping chase through the streets of San Francisco
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The match would often feature the X-Division’s highflyers and provided some heart-stopping moments. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026 An Oklahoma principal is being hailed as a hero after tackling a gunman inside a high school earlier this month – a heart-stopping moment that was captured on video. Melina Khan, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026 Above a muddled Southland college basketball landscape, a heartwarming, heart-stopping story has arisen. Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026 And in the third period of the USA’s heart-stopping 2-1 overtime win over the Canadians in Sunday’s gold medal game, the UMass Lowell product turned to another Hockey East product, Bruins defenseman and former Boston University Terrier Charlie McAvoy, for some game-saving assistance. Stephen Conroy, Hartford Courant, 23 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for heart-stopping

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heart-stopping was in 1888

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heart-stopping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heart-stopping. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

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