arm's-length

[ ahrmz-lengkth, -length ]

/ ˈɑrmzˌlɛŋkθ, -ˌlɛŋθ /

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adjective

not closely or intimately connected or associated; distant; remote: an arm's-length relationship.

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SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

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Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

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Origin of arm's-length

First recorded in 1645–55

Words nearby arm's-length

armrest, arms, Arms and the Man, arms control, armscye, arm's-length, arms race, armstand dive, Armstrong, Armstrong, Louis, arm-twist

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use arm's-length in a sentence

To his critics, he explained—sometimes at painful length—his reasoning against it.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
At St. Barnabas Hospital, Pellerano was listed in stable condition with wounds to his chest and arm.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The big slug happened to hit the suspect in the street, passing through his arm and then striking Police Officer Andrew Dossi.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Dossi initially was listed in critical condition with wounds to his arm and lower back.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

She is wearing a crop top, and Andrew has his arm wrapped around her waist.
Buckingham Palace Disputes Sex Allegations Against Prince ‘Randy Andy’|Tom Sykes|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It ended on a complaint that she was 'tired rather and spending my time at full length on a deck-chair in the garden.'
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
She was holding the back of her chair with one hand; her loose sleeve had slipped almost to the shoulder of her uplifted arm.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
In Spain he was regarded as the right arm of the ultra-clericals and a possible supporter of Carlism.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
These sections also have vibrations of their own which are of shorter length and more rapid motion.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
Besides this fundamental or primary vibration, the movement divides itself into segments, or sections, of the entire length.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick

British Dictionary definitions for arm's-length

arm's-length

adjective

lacking intimacy or friendliness, esp when possessing some special connection, such as previous closenesswe now have an arm's-length relationship

(of commercial transactions) in accordance with market values, disregarding any connection such as common ownership of the companies involved

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

arm's-length

Origin of arm's-length

Words nearby arm's-length

Words related to arm's-length

How to use arm's-length in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for arm's-length