hairbreadth

1 of 2

noun

hair·​breadth ˈher-ˌbretth 

-ˌbreth,

-ˌbredth

variants or hairsbreadth

ˈherz-ˌbretth 

-ˌbreth,

-ˌbredth

: a very small distance or margin

hairbreadth

2 of 2

adjective

: very narrow : close

a hairbreadth escape

Synonyms

Noun

• ace
• hair
• hairline
• hop, skip, and jump
• inch
• neck
• shouting distance
• step
• stone's throw

Adjective

• close
• down-to-the-wire
• narrow
• neck and neck
• nip and tuck
• tight

Examples of hairbreadth in a Sentence

Noun

just missed the bull's-eye by a hairbreadth

Adjective

a hairbreadth victory, but a victory nevertheless

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Should the electoral officials’ math hold up, the hairbreadth victory is likely to provide only limited comfort to Mr. del Mazo’s party. —Kirk Semple and Marina Franco, New York Times, 4 June 2017

The year closed with the hairbreadth victory of a law-and-order Presidential nominee whose Southern strategy of racial politicking remade the electoral map. —Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2017

Adjective

In the end, Cuellar and his corporate backers carried the day (one marked also by the Uvalde school massacre), albeit by a hairbreadth margin. —Andrew Cockburn, Harper’s Magazine , 20 July 2022

That mad quest for immortality is only one thread in an intricate narrative that encompasses witchcraft, impossible transformations, hairbreadth escapes, killer clowns and an assortment of innovative murders. —Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2021

Nancy Pelosi will have a hairbreadth four-vote majority in the House with two seats still undecided. —Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 17 Dec. 2020

The hairbreadth outcome in the race belied its sweeping consequences. —Author: Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Mar. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1561, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1604, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hairbreadth

• breadth
• overbreadth

Kids Definition

hairbreadth

noun

hair·​breadth

ˈha(ə)r-ˌbretth,

ˈhe(ə)r-,

-ˌbredth

variants or hairsbreadth

ˈha(ə)rz-,

ˈhe(ə)rz-

: a very small distance or margin

hairbreadth adjective