within an ace of something/of doing something

within an ace of (doing) (something)

Extremely close to doing, achieving, or obtaining something, typically having failed by a very narrow margin. I came within an ace of winning that race, but I guess I'll have to settle for second place. They were within an ace of defeat when the quarterback threw a Hail Mary for a last-second touchdown. Crude oil prices came within an ace of $80 a barrel on Friday, threatening to plunge markets further into recession around the globe.

See also: ace, an, of, within

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

within an ace of (doing) something

 and within a hair('s breadth) of something

very close to doing something. I came within an ace of getting into an accident. We were within an ace of beating the all-time record. We were within a hair's breadth of beating the all-time record.

See also: ace, an, of, within

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

within an ace of

Also, within an inch of. Very close to, within a narrow margin of, as in We were within an ace of calling you, but we'd lost your phone number, or We were within an inch of buying tickets for that concert. The first term refers to the ace of dice, that is, the one pip on a die. The lowest number one can throw with a pair of dice is two (two aces), a throw that is within an ace of one. The term began to be used for other kinds of near miss by about 1700.

See also: ace, an, of, within

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

within an ace of

very close to.

Ace here has the figurative meaning of ‘a tiny amount’ and is used with reference to the single spot on the playing card. The phrase was first recorded in the early 18th century.

See also: ace, an, of, within

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

within an ace of something/of doing something

(British English) very close to something: We came within an ace of victory.

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

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

within an ace of (doing) something

mod. very close to doing something. We were within an ace of beating the all-time record.

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

within an ace of something

verb

See within an ace of doing something

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

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

within an ace of

On the verge of; very near to: came within an ace of losing the election.

See also: ace, an, of, within

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.