photo finish

American

noun

Sports.

a finish of a race in which two or more contestants are so close to the finish line that reference to a photograph of the finish is necessary to determine the winner.

photo finish British

noun

a finish of a race in which contestants are so close that a photograph is needed to decide the result
any race or competition in which the winners or placed contestants are separated by a very small margin

"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

Other Word Forms

photo-finish

adjective

Etymology

Origin of photo finish

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

photo finish

American Nathan Martin won the contest in a photo finish, tracking down Michael Kimani Kamau of Kenya to edge him on his final strides, winning by 00.01 seconds.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026

When it comes to picking the best S&P 500 index fund, the results are bound to be a photo finish.

From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026

So it likely comes down to these two, and the stakes are chillingly high for such a photo finish.

From Slate ● Mar. 23, 2026

After finishing second to Delta in a photo finish for 2024’s rankings, Southwest this time won by a wide margin, and ended Delta’s four-year winning streak.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026

It was the first time in his ten-year career that he had been beaten in a photo finish of a stakes race.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023