hairsbreadth

[ hairz-bredth, -bretth, -breth ]

/ ˈhɛərzˌbrɛdθ, -ˌbrɛtθ, -ˌbrɛθ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for hairsbreadth on Thesaurus.com

noun

a very small space or distance: We escaped an accident by a hairsbreadth.

adjective

extremely narrow or close.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also hair's-breadth, hairbreadth.

Origin of hairsbreadth

First recorded in 1575–85

Words nearby hairsbreadth

hairpiece, hairpin, hair-raiser, hair-raising, hair restorer, hairsbreadth, hair seal, hair sheep, hair shirt, hair slide, hair space

How to use hairsbreadth in a sentence

He was more than once within a hairsbreadth of death but at length he was brought by his master, Kakinathucca, to his home.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 5, 1920|Various
He had a habit of darting them around a wide circle of objects, without turning his head a hairsbreadth.
Adle Dubois|Mrs. William T. Savage
We catch a word, a touch of flippancy, a suggestion of licence, a covert sneer which goes too far by a hairsbreadth.
Judges and Ruth|Robert A. Watson
He carefully turned an unconnected control knob a hairsbreadth with utmost deliberation and precision.
The Kenzie Report|Mark Clifton

Not by a hairsbreadth has all that has passed in the interval lowered you in my eyes.
When We Dead Awaken|Henrik Ibsen

British Dictionary definitions for hairsbreadth

hair's-breadth