# win by a nose

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/win-by-a-nose
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To win by a small margin; to have a narrow victory.

## Examples

- The blue horse won by a nose.
- I win by a nose when we play this card game.
- She wins by a nose in the final seconds of the video game.
- The race was incredibly close, but the runner from the local club managed to win by a nose.
- After the judges counted the votes for the talent show, the singer managed to win by a nose against the dancer.
- The two companies offered similar prices for the project, but the smaller firm won by a nose because of their better schedule.
- The mayor won by a nose after the final district reported its results, beating his opponent by only twelve votes in a very tense election night.
- Although the challenger fought with remarkable intensity throughout the final lap, the champion ultimately secured the victory by a nose.

## Origin

Derived from the parlance of the nineteenth-century turf, where a horse secures victory by the narrowest possible margin. The phrase describes a finish in which the tip of the winning animal's snout crosses the line slightly ahead of the runner-up, the length of the nose serving as the sole distinction between the first and second place.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.