noun
a very small distance or space
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they escaped by a hair's-breadth
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they lost the election by a whisker
• Syn: ↑hair's-breadth, ↑hair, ↑whisker
• Hypernyms: ↑small indefinite quantity, ↑small indefinite amount
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variant of hairbreadth
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/hairz"bredth', -bretth', -breth'/, n.
1. a very small space or distance: We escaped an accident by a hairsbreadth.
adj.
2. extremely narrow or close.
Also, hair's-breadth, hairbreadth.
[1575-85]
Useful english dictionary. 2012.