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.

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Example Sentences

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

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.

From Salon • May 24, 2025

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

Their report was only off by a hair; the Kongo people made remarkable textiles by beating the fibrous bark of certain trees, or weaving thread from the raffia palm.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

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