tenterhook

American

[ten-ter-hook] / ˈtɛn tərˌhʊk /

noun

one of the hooks or bent nails that hold cloth stretched on a tenter.

idioms

on tenterhooks, in a state of uneasy suspense or painful anxiety.

The movie keeps one on tenterhooks until the very last moment.

tenterhook British

/ ˈtɛntəˌhʊk /

noun

one of a series of hooks or bent nails used to hold cloth stretched on a tenter
in a state of tension or suspense

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does tenterhook mean? A tenterhook is a hook used to attach cloth to a tenter—a frame on which cloth is stretched during the manufacturing process so that it can keep its shape while drying.Tenterhooks are no longer widely used in cloth manufacturing, and the word tenterhook is now almost exclusively used in the metaphorical phrase on tenterhooks, meaning in a state of painfully anxious suspense or tension. Being on tenterhooks typically involves being extremely nervous while awaiting the outcome of a tense situation, such as a close election, an exciting sports game, or a horror movie.Example: I’ve been on tenterhooks all morning waiting for the doctor’s office to call back with my test results.

Etymology

Origin of tenterhook

First recorded in 1470–80; tenter + hook ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

So as not to keep you on tenterhooks, “CIA” gets you most of the way there by the end of the first hour.

From Los Angeles Times

Murase said she felt "immense joy" at her gold but admitted she had been on tenterhooks until her final run.

From Barron's

The turn of the New Year came with a new series of The Traitors and to no surprise, plot twists are leaving viewers on tenterhooks.

From BBC

Back in the current Archers timeline, fans were left on tenterhooks by the cliffhanger broadcast on New Year's Eve, when a dramatic attack shook the village.

From BBC

As a way to find joy, she said, in a time when news and world events have us all on tenterhooks.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023