by a hair

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

The older man in sunglasses, Eldon Heller, 70, a retired contractor from Washougal, Wash., wins by a hair.

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For 35 years, Cruise’s super spy Ethan Hunt and his rotating, crackerjack team of rogue agents have been saving the world from annihilation time and time again, skirting death by a hair each time.

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As of Wednesday, the measure was winning by a hair.

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By a hair’s breadth, it didn’t, although the Germans sank 455 ships in the operation.

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FiveThirtyEight averages now have Harris up by a hair in Arizona and tied in Georgia.

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Related Words

• barely 
• comparatively 
• practically 
• rarely 
• seldom 
• simply 
• somewhat