whisker

noun

whis·​ker ˈ(h)wi-skər 

1

a

: a hair of the beard

b whiskers plural

(1)

archaic : mustache

(2)

: the part of the beard growing on the sides of the face or on the chin

c

: hairbreadth

lost the race by a whisker

2

: one of the long projecting hairs or bristles growing near the mouth of an animal (such as a cat or bird)

3

: an outrigger extending on each side of the bowsprit to spread the jib and flying jib guys

—usually used in plural

4

a

: a shred or filament resembling a whisker

b

: a thin hairlike crystal (as of sapphire or copper) of exceptional mechanical strength used especially to reinforce composite structural material

whiskered

ˈ(h)wi-skərd 

adjective

whiskery

ˈ(h)wi-sk(ə-)rē 

adjective

Examples of whisker in a Sentence

He won the race by a whisker.

Recent Examples on the Web

An exuberant young male, with small scars of missing whiskers looking so much like adolescent acne on his face-forward personality, began his investigation slowly. —Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2025

Such encounters, which can easily go unnoticed because of a delay in the affected person’s immunological response, occur with the venomous caterpillars and moths that sport tufts of minuscule whiskers, called setae, on their surface. —Ivan Amato, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2025

To this, Penner dropped back and hit Andy Reid right between the whiskers. —Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2025

Gray and faded whiskers may be changed to their natural color and even brown or black by using Buckingham dye – try it. —Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

singular of whiskers mustache, from whisk entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing whisker

• within a whisker of

Rhymes for whisker

• brisker

Kids Definition

whisker

noun

whis·​ker ˈhwis-kər 

ˈwis-

1

a

: a hair of the beard

b

plural : the part of the beard growing on the sides of the face or on the chin

2

: one of the long hairs or bristles growing near the mouth of an animal (as a cat or mouse)

whiskered

-kərd 

adjective