whisker

American  

[hwis-ker, wis-] / ˈʰwɪs kər, ˈwɪs- /

noun

whiskers plural

1. whiskers, a beard.

2. Usually whiskers. side whiskers.

3. a single hair of the beard.

4. Archaic. a mustache.

5. one of the long, stiff, bristly hairs growing about the mouth of certain animals, as the cat or rat; vibrissa.

6. Also called whisker boom,.  Also called whisker pole.  Nautical. any spar for extending the clew or clews of a sail so that it can catch more wind.

7. Radio, Electronics. cat whisker.

8. Crystallography. a thin filament of a crystal, usually several millimeters long and one to two microns in diameter, having unusually great strength.

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idioms

1. by a whisker, by the narrowest margin.

   She won the race by a whisker.

whisker British  

/ ˈwɪskə /

noun

1. Technical name: vibrissa.  any of the stiff sensory hairs growing on the face of a cat, rat, or other mammal

2. any of the hairs growing on a person's face, esp on the cheeks or chin

3. (plural) a beard or that part of it growing on the sides of the face

4. informal (plural) a moustache

5. Also called: whisker boom.   whisker pole.  any light spar used for extending the clews of a sail, esp in light airs

6. chem a very fine filamentary crystal having greater strength than the bulk material since it is a single crystal. Such crystals often show unusual electrical properties

7. a person or thing that whisks

8. a narrow margin; a small distance

   he escaped death by a whisker

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whisker More Idioms  

1. see by a hair (whisker); win by a nose (whisker).

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• whiskery
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• whiskers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of whisker

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at whisk, -er ¹

Explanation

A whisker is a thick, bristly hair that grows on an animal's face. Your cat's long whiskers actually help her to navigate in the dark. You can also call a human's beard whiskers, but the word usually means the stiff hairs on the snout of an animal like a fox, a walrus, or a rat. In fact, most mammals have whiskers — and humans are the only primates who don't have them. This noun can also mean "a tiny amount," like when a disappointed voter says, "The other guy won by a whisker."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

whisker whiskers

The dollar was recently at 161.82 yen on Thursday, a mere whisker from its high of ¥161.92 on June 22.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Part of elephants' whisker evolution is to prevent breakage, said Schulz.

From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026

Stocks are still within a whisker of their all-time highs.

From Barron's ● Dec. 4, 2025

After two games in the Sheffield Shield, Agar came within a whisker of making his Australia bow on an awful tour of India.

From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2025

As he tumbled, whisker over tail, through the darkness, there were only two words in his mind.

From "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread" by Kate DiCamillo

The study was only carried out on mice, mostly via cells taken from their whiskers.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

New research published Thursday in the journal Science details how the whiskers that cover an elephant's trunk have unique properties that lend the largest land mammals remarkable dexterity.

From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026

I refuse to bury the Chiefs, because they have torched me so many times—presuming their inevitable demise, only to see clever coach Andy Reid pull off another victory by the walrus whiskers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025

The sight of Richard Parker, a growling behemoth of musculature and whiskers, is the most fearsome.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2025

Thin, white whiskers shimmered in the light, and a pink tongue poked out from above her white chin.

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins