at arm's length

phrase

1

: from a distance that is the length of a person's arm

It's best to view the painting at arm's length.

holding a candle at arm's length

2

: in a condition that individuals act independently and without one having undue influence over another

a deal arranged at arm's length

Examples of at arm's length in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From this distance, the moon looked about as big as a basketball held at arm's length, NASA officials said during the Artemis 2 livestream. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2026

At that distance, according to NASA, the moon will appear to be about the size of a basketball held at arm's length, with the distant blue Earth beyond it. — Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 30 Mar. 2026

The Red Raiders used 3-point shooting and stellar rebounding to keep the Zips at arm's length — but not much further than that. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 20 Mar. 2026

The Bearcats kept the Jayhawks (20-7, 10-4) at arm's length with timely shots to kill momentum throughout the second, only allowing Kansas to pull ahead for one possession before retaking the lead. — Arkansas Online, 22 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for at arm's length

• strength