whisker

[ hwis-ker, wis- ]

/ ˈʰwɪs kər, ˈwɪs- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR whisker ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

whiskers, a beard.

Usually whiskers. side whiskers.

a single hair of the beard.

Archaic. a mustache.

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

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

Radio, Electronics. cat whisker.

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

Nearby words

Idioms

by a whisker, by the narrowest margin: She won the race by a whisker.

Origin of whisker

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at whisk, -er¹

Related formswhisk·er·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for whiskers

In fact, traditional Chinese medicine outlines the uses for each component of a tiger, down to its nose leather and whiskers.
China Is Brewing Wine From Tiger Bones|Brendon Hong|July 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With the nation facing a graver crisis than Lincoln was so far willing to admit, his whiskers gave him…gravitas.
Why Barack Should Grow a Beard|Jamie Malanowski|December 4, 2008|DAILY BEAST
I sat beside John Bolton whose Nietzschean whiskers bristled at the turn history had taken.
The Capital Goes Nuts|Simon Schama|November 6, 2008|DAILY BEAST
In vain do his whiskers and moustache attempt to give a touch of fierceness to his face.
Punch, Or The London Charivari, Vol. 103, October 8, 1892|Various

Then King returned to his place, elation bristling in his whiskers.
Kings in Exile|Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts
Mr. Cahoon's grin vanished and the expression of his face above the whiskers indicated extreme surprise.
Fair Harbor|Joseph Crosby Lincoln
Men look into a mirror, and see only whiskers they forgot to shave the day before.
King--of the Khyber Rifles|Talbot Mundy
Upon which the coroner, after pulling at his whiskers for a moment as if in thought, called out for Mrs. Reed to return.
Johnny Ludlow, Second Series|Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for whiskers

whisker

/ (ˈwɪskə) /

noun

any of the stiff sensory hairs growing on the face of a cat, rat, or other mammalTechnical name: vibrissa

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

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

(plural) informal a moustache

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

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

a person or thing that whisks

a narrow margin; a small distancehe escaped death by a whisker

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

Word Origin and History for whiskers

whisker

"hair of a man's face" (usually plural), c.1600, originally a playful formation, from Middle English wisker "anything that whisks or sweeps" (early 15c.); see whisk (v.). In reference to animal lip hair, recorded from 1670s.

Idioms and Phrases with whiskers

whisker

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

whisker

noun

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of whisker

Examples from the Web for whiskers

British Dictionary definitions for whiskers

whisker

noun

Word Origin and History for whiskers

whisker

Idioms and Phrases with whiskers

whisker