The Britannica Dictionary
mobile search
Home
Ask the Editor
Word of the Day
Quizzes
Core Vocabulary
Browse the Dictionary
×
Britannica Homepage
Ask the Editor
Word of the Day
Quizzes
Core Vocabulary
Browse the Dictionary
The Britannica Dictionary
tenterhooks
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
tenterhooks
(noun)
tenterhooks
/
ˈ
tɛntɚˌhʊks/
noun
tenterhooks
/
ˈ
tɛntɚˌhʊks/
noun
Britannica Dictionary definition of TENTERHOOKS
on tenterhooks
:
waiting nervously for something to happen
:
in a state of nervousness or excitement caused by wondering what will happen
She keeps her readers
on tenterhooks
throughout the book.
I've been
on tenterhooks
since I applied for the job.
[+] more examples
[-] hide examples
[+] Example sentences
[-] Hide examples
ASK THE EDITOR
What is the correct verb form in this sentence? "The keys to the car (are, is) on the table."
See the answer »
QUIZZES
Vocabulary Quiz
Test your word power
Take the Quiz »
Name That Thing
Take our visual quiz
Test Your Knowledge »
WORD OF THE DAY
replenish
:
to fill or build up (something) again (
somewhat formal
)
Learn More »