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

Synonyms of heart-stopping

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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.
For a few heart-stopping seconds, the orca is beached on wet sand or pebbles. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 2 June 2026 In short, Che was a wonderfully heart-stopping f---. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026 There are tears among Ecuador's fans after a heart-stopping final few minutes when Germany finally woke up and tried to score again. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 26 June 2026 Throughout the record, the image of Petras’ life in freefall recurs, giving the record a sense of hair-whipping freedom and heart-stopping urgency. — Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 2 June 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

Rhymes for heart-stopping

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Browse Nearby Words

heart-stopper
heart-stopping
heartstring
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heart-stopping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heart-stopping. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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