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Synonyms

by a hair

Idioms  

  1. Also,. Very narrowly. For example, His serve was out by a hair, or We made our flight by a hairbreadth, or Dad missed hitting the pole by a whisker. The first two hyperboles for the very narrowest margin date from the 1300s and 1400s respectively; whisker meaning “a small amount” was first recorded in 1913. Also see by the skin of one's teeth; hang by a hair.

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.

Although revenue grew 2.5% to $2.56 billion, the number missed analysts’ calls for $2.57 billion by a hair.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

Boebert won against Democrat Adam Frisch by a hair in 2022, earning just 546 more votes of the over 327,000 cast, according to The Daily Beast.

From Salon • Dec. 29, 2023

It’s a close race, but the Tucson takes the win by a hair for its slightly better user experience and more generous standard features list.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 30, 2022

Mr. Florio ran again in 1981, winning the Democratic nomination but losing the general election to Mr. Kean, a moderate Republican, by a hair — fewer than 2,000 votes out of 2.3 million cast.

From New York Times • Sep. 26, 2022

Building his campaign around reforming the city’s political system and better tending to its neglected neighborhoods, Washington won the election by a hair.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.