hair

noun, often attributive \ ˈher \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

Definition of hair

1 a : a slender threadlike outgrowth of the epidermis of an animal; especially : one of the usually pigmented filaments that form the characteristic coat of a mammal

b : the hairy covering of an animal or a body part; especially : the coating of hairs on a human head

2 : haircloth

3 a : a minute distance or amount

won by a hair

b : a precise degree

aligned to a hair

4 obsolete : nature, character

5 : a filamentous structure that resembles hair

leaf hair

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hairless

adjective

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hairlessness

noun

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hairlike

play \-ˌlīk\ adjective

— in one's hair

: persistently and annoyingly in one's presence

can't work with you in my hair all day

— out of one's hair

: out of one's way : not in one's hair

keep the children out of his hair for a while

See hair defined for English-language learners

See hair defined for kids

Examples of hair in a Sentence

He plucked a hair from his arm.
There are dog hairs all over my coat.
The hair on her arms is blond.
He has a lot of hair on his chest.
He got his hair cut last week.
He has a thick head of hair.
a balding man who is losing his hair
He won the race by a hair.
He was a hair off on the count.

Recent Examples of hair from the Web

Tennessee Titans' Rishard Matthews selected Know Your Rights, the charity of his college friend Colin Kaepernick, and Rivero painted Kaepernick's name and an image of him kneeling with his hair styled into a fist.

— hunter schwarz, CNN, "How athletes are turning their shoes into political symbols," 14 Apr. 2018
The 28-year-old woman told responding officers that Foster dragged her by her hair, physically threw her out of the house, and punched her in the head eight to 10 times.

— Houston Chronicle, "49ers' Reuben Foster charged with felony domestic violence," 12 Apr. 2018
This includes human tissues like skin and hair, clothing and tapestries, wooden artifacts, and the remains of plants and animals associated with the burial.

— julia kate clark, Smithsonian, "As Mongolia Melts, Looters Close In On Priceless Artifacts," 11 Apr. 2018
His covered his messy blonde hair with a denim baseball cap.

— erika harwood, Vanities, "Justin Bieber Is Now Dressing Like Adam Sandler," 11 Apr. 2018
The flight was supposed to be all fun and games—an exciting, doors-off, wind-in-your-hair helicopter ride above Manhattan that would yield gorgeous sunset images of the city.

— eric adams, WIRED, "Inside the Safety Issues Surrounding the NY Helicopter Crash," 8 Apr. 2018
These lines, splayed out across mountains and oceans, are made of hair-thin glass 30 times more transparent than the purest water.

— doug main, The Atlantic, "Humankind’s Most Important Material," 7 Apr. 2018
For all his academic expertise, Mr Vinen is a little too young to have smelled the flowers in their hair.

— The Economist, "1968 was no mere year," 5 Apr. 2018
Her daughter says she was scared of the family whose home had cockroaches and the woman who refused to comb her hair.

— The Republic | azcentral.com, "Maribel Ontiveros: 'They took my children'," 5 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hair.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of hair

Origin and Etymology of hair

Middle English, from Old English hǣr; akin to Old High German hār hair

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

hair Synonyms

Other Anatomy Terms

bilateral symmetry, carotid, cartilage, dorsal, entrails, prehensile, renal, solar plexus, supine, thoracic, ventral

HAIR Defined for English Language Learners

hair

noun

Definition of hair for English Language Learners

: a thin threadlike growth from the skin of a person or animal
: a covering or growth of hairs
: the covering of hairs on a person's head

HAIR Defined for Kids

hair

noun \ ˈher \

Definition of hair for Students

1 : a threadlike growth from the skin of a person or animal

She pulled out a hair.

2 : a covering or growth of hairs

I got my hair cut.

3 : something (as a growth on a leaf) like an animal hair

4 : a very small distance or amount

I won by a hair.

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haired

\ˈherd\ adjective a long-haired dog

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hairless

\ˈher-ləs\ adjective

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hairlike

\-ˌlīk\ adjective

Medical Dictionary

hair

noun, often attributive \ ˈha(ə)r, ˈhe(ə)r \

medical Definition of hair

1 : a slender threadlike outgrowth of the epidermis of an animal; especially : one of the usually pigmented filaments that form the characteristic coat of a mammal