English Reference
Idiom idiom

hair's breadth


A very small amount or distance.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

He missed the bus by a hair's breadth.

CONTEXTUAL

The car swerved to avoid the dog, missing it by a hair's breadth.

COMPLEX

The climber escaped the falling rock by a hair's breadth, clinging to the cliff face as the debris tumbled into the abyss below.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    bad hair day

    A day when things seem to be unmanageable or go wrong.

  2. 02

    barnet

    [Cockney slang]hair

  3. 03

    curl someone's hair

    To frighten, dismay, or excite someone thoroughly.

  4. 04

    get grey hair from

    To acquire great frustration, confusion, or anxiousness from (something or someone).

  5. 05

    get out of someone's hair

    To manipulate somebody into quit pestering somebody else.

  6. 06

    give someone grey hair

    To give someone great frustration, confusion, or anxiousness.

  7. 07

    hair of the dog

    An alcoholic drink, particularly when taken the morning after to cure a hangover.

  8. 08

    hair out of place

    The slightest sign of disorder or unkemptness.

Last updated August 10, 2026