hailing distance

American  

noun

1. the distance within which the human voice can be heard.

   They sailed within hailing distance of the island.

2. a close distance; the reach of something or someone (usually preceded bywithin ).

   Success is within hailing distance.

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Etymology

Origin of hailing distance

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

After 20 years in politics, she stands within hailing distance of the White House and making further history from a geographic standpoint.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 25, 2024

If you passed within hailing distance of Twitter over the holiday weekend, you might have heard a collective sigh from fans of smart, female-focused comedies as Booksmart sputtered to a sixth-place box-office finish.

From Slate • May 28, 2019

It differs significantly from the previous eras in that the cars are not designed and made in Stuttgart but at two factories in Northamptonshire, 25 miles apart and both within hailing distance of Silverstone.

From The Guardian • Feb. 24, 2017

Fischer added that, apart from volatile energy and food prices, chronically low inflation is now "within hailing distance" of the Fed's 2 percent target.

From US News • Aug. 25, 2016

The dam would be built across Indian Creek at the mouth of Milagro Canyon, establishing a mile-and-a-half-long lake whose easternmost shore would extend up to within hailing distance of the Dancing Trout’s main lodge.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols