hair's breadth
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Related to hair's breadth: hairbreadth
hair's breadth
A very small amount or short length. After wandering around the forest for an hour thinking we were lost, it turned out that we were only a hair's breadth away from our campsite. The seal is air-tight—there's not a hair's breadth between the door and the frame.
See also: breadth
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
a hair's breadth
1. You use a hair's breadth to talk about the smallest possible amount or degree of something. The town suffered heavy bombing, coming within a hair's breadth of being destroyed altogether. He missed the two-minute barrier by a hair's breadth, finishing in 2.00.04 and setting a new British record. The situation was a hair's breadth away from being comical.
2. You use a hair's breadth to talk about the smallest possible distance. A stone flew past him, missing him by a hair's breadth. His head was a hair's breadth away from the car roof.
See also: breadth
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
a hair's breadth
a very small amount or margin.See also: breadth
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
a ˈhair’s breadth
a very small distance or amount: He escaped death by a hair’s breadth. If the other car had been going any faster, he would certainly have been killed. ♢ She was within a hair’s breadth of winning. Breadth means width.
See also: breadth
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017