at arm's length

idiom

: from a distance that is the length of a person's arm

It's best to view the painting at arm's length.

holding a candle at arm's length

: in a condition that individuals act independently and without one having undue influence over another

a deal arranged at arm's length

Examples of at arm's length in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Between the lines: Concerns that Biden could be a drag on their chances have long led Brown, Tester and Rosen to keep the president at arm's length. —

Stephen Neukam, Axios, 14 Aug. 2024 The Harris campaign is walking a particularly careful tightrope, aiming to amplify the VP's role in Biden's biggest accomplishments while keeping his vulnerabilities at arm's length. —

Zachary Basu, Axios, 31 July 2024 But Stefanik didn't keep Trump at arm's length for long. —

Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 8 July 2024 The technologies' outcome, like the number of stars, is also stupefying: The Mesopotamians might have been off by a finger or so held at arm's length, maybe a degree of arc, and Hipparchus was off by about half a degree, or 30 arc minutes. —

Ann Finkbeiner, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for at arm's length

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'at arm's length.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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“At arm's length.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20arm%27s%20length. Accessed 24 Sep. 2024.

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