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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.

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

From Los Angeles Times

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

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

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Salon

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

From Slate

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.