at arm's length

Idioms  

1. At a distance, avoiding intimacy or familiarity, as in Bill hated seeing his colleagues outside the office, preferring to keep all of them at arm's length, or She was friendly only when he was safely at arm's length. Now often used with the verb keep, this term for distancing oneself from a person, organization, or issue originated as at arm's end but developed its current form by the mid-1600s.

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Example Sentences

Such spells on the sidelines have kept the eyes of the world at arm's length, but on his major finals debut he was in full focus.

From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026

The two planets will appear to be about the same distance in the sky as the width of your little finger held out at arm's length.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

Roosevelt disliked Woodruff and kept him at arm’s length, although he did allow Pinchot to hire Woodruff at the Agriculture Department.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

The moon, appearing about the size of a bowling ball at arm’s length to the crew, hung in the nothingness.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Mini held the sprig of youth at arm’s length.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi