come within an ace of something

come within an ace of (something)

To almost get, achieve, or experience something. She came within an ace of the gold medal, but her leg cramped in the last few meters. Hundreds of people came within an ace of death when their apartment building caught on fire in the middle of the night. No, they came within an ace of defeat. They only won on a last-second touchdown!

See also: ace, an, come, of, within

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

come within an ace of something

BRITISH

If you come within an ace of something, you very nearly succeed in doing it. Note: In many card games, the ace is the card with the highest score. She had just watched her hero come within an ace of a place in the quarter finals. Note: You can also say that someone is within an ace of something They were within an ace of solving the problem. Note: In this expression, `ace' refers to a score of one on a dice, rather than a playing card.

See also: ace, an, come, of, something, within

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012