hair

[ hair ]

/ hɛər /

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noun

any of the numerous fine, usually cylindrical, keratinous filaments growing from the skin of humans and animals; a pilus.

an aggregate of such filaments, as that covering the human head or forming the coat of most mammals.

a similar fine, filamentous outgrowth from the body of insects, spiders, etc.

Botany. a filamentous outgrowth of the epidermis.

cloth made of hair from animals, as camel and alpaca.

a very small amount, degree, measure, magnitude, etc.; a fraction, as of time or space: He lost the race by a hair.

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His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about hair

get in someone's hair, Slang. to annoy or bother someone: Their snobbishness gets in my hair.

hair of the dog, Informal. a drink of liquor, supposed to relieve a hangover: Even a hair of the dog didn't help his aching head.Also hair of the dog that bit one.

let one's hair down, Informal.

to relax; behave informally: He finally let his hair down and actually cracked a joke.
to speak candidly or frankly; remove or reduce restraints: He let his hair down and told them about his anxieties.

make one's hair stand on end, to strike or fill with horror; terrify: The tales of the jungle made our hair stand on end.

split hairs, to make unnecessarily fine or petty distinctions: To argue about whether they arrived at two o'clock or at 2:01 is just splitting hairs.

tear one's hair, to manifest extreme anxiety, grief, or anger: He's tearing his hair over the way he was treated by them.Also tear one's hair out.

to a hair, perfect to the smallest detail; exactly: The reproduction matched the original to a hair.

without turning a hair, without showing the least excitement or emotion.Also not turn a hair.

Origin of hair

before 900; Middle English heer,Old English hǣr (cognate with Dutch, German haar,Old Norse hār), with vowel perhaps from Middle English haire hair shirt <Old French <Old High German hāria (cognate with Middle English here,Old English hǣre,Old Norse hǣra)

OTHER WORDS FROM hair

hairlike, adjectivede·hair, verb (used with object)

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hair

hair , hare

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hair in a sentence

And yes, someone has already called Spencer a “Small Fry,” har har.
Freaking Out About Age Gaps in Gay Relationships Is Homophobic|Samantha Allen|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
For someone with anorexia, self-starvation makes them feel better.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Cassandra, whose hair has already begun to fall out from her court-mandated chemotherapy, could face a similar outcome.
Should Teens Have The Right To Die?|Brandy Zadrozny|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Someone is determined to keep Bill Cosby off TV,” she continued.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers|Stereo Williams|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Binge eating and purging does the same for someone with bulimia.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I pictured him as slim and young looking, smooth-faced, with golden curly hair, and big brown eyes.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman
He was tall and of familiar figure, and the firelight was playing in the tossed curls of his short, fair hair.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
Ollie saw someone standing before it, bending slightly forward in the pose of expectation.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
His hair was darker—almost brown save at the temples, where age had faded it to an ashen colour.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
He frowned, and bent his head, and his long hair fell over his face, while the poor Stuttgardter sat there like a beaten hound.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay

British Dictionary definitions for hair

hair

/ (hɛə) /

noun

any of the threadlike pigmented structures that grow from follicles beneath the skin of mammals and consist of layers of dead keratinized cells

a growth of such structures, as on the human head or animal body, which helps prevent heat loss from the body

botany any threadlike outgrowth from the epidermis, such as a root hair

a fabric or material made from the hair of some animals
(as modifier)a hair carpet; a hair shirt

another word for hair's-breadth to lose by a hair

get in someone's hair informal to annoy someone persistently

hair of the dog or hair of the dog that bit one an alcoholic drink taken as an antidote to a hangover

keep your hair on! British informal keep calm

let one's hair down to behave without reserve

not turn a hair to show no surprise, anger, fear, etc

split hairs to make petty and unnecessary distinctions

Derived forms of hair

hairlike, adjective

Word Origin for hair

Old English hær; related to Old Norse hār, Old High German hār hair, Norwegian herren stiff, hard, Lettish sari bristles, Latin crescere to grow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for hair

hair

[ hâr ]

One of the fine strands that grow from the skin of mammals, usually providing insulation against the cold. Modified hairs sometimes serve as protective defenses, as in the quills of a porcupine or hedgehog, or as tactile organs, as in the whiskers (called vibrissae) of many nocturnal mammals. Hair filaments are a modification of the epidermis of the skin and are composed primarily of keratin. Hair also contains melanin, which determines hair color.

A slender growth resembling a mammalian hair, found on insects and other animals.

A fine, threadlike growth from the epidermis of plants. See more at trichome.

Other Idioms and Phrases with hair

hair

In addition to the idioms beginning with hair

hair of the dog that bit you
hair shirt

also see:

bad hair day
by a hair
by the short hairs
fair-haired boy
get gray hair from
hang by a thread (hair)
hide or hair
in someone's hair
let one's hair down
make one's hair stand on end
put lead in one's pencil (hair on one's chest)
split hairs
tear one's hair
turn a hair

hair

Idioms about hair

Origin of hair

OTHER WORDS FROM hair

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hair

Words related to hair

How to use hair in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hair

Derived forms of hair

Word Origin for hair

Scientific definitions for hair

Other Idioms and Phrases with hair