photo finish

noun

1
: a race or finish in which contestants are so close that a photograph of them as they cross the finish line has to be examined to determine the winner
2
: a close contest

Examples of photo finish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But as the tallies were counted, official results reflected a photo finish — in part because of the extraordinary inroads made by the far right. Catarina Fernandes Martins, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 What followed was a nit-picking, photo finish of a taste test. Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 3 Nov. 2023 Sea Tales ranked first in a photo finish of a taste test, but what cemented its position in first place was the company’s holistic commitment to sustainability. Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 8 Jan. 2024 Plus, the heartwarming story of a photo finish for a mother’s marathon run. CNN, 24 Sep. 2023 Beyond photo finishes, there’s another reason that this random weekend in the dog days of summer is being closely scrutinized. Brent Lang, Variety, 27 Aug. 2023 Joey Mantia, the 36-year-old American who had been expected to contend for the gold, missed the bronze in a photo finish, but said afterward that a foul by Lee had cost him a shot at the podium. New York Times, 18 Feb. 2022 Mohawk Warrior edged out Grave Digger, Monster Jam’s most famous truck, in a photo finish. Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2023 The one-of-a-kind track quickly gained a reputation for photo finishes and fun races. Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 21 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'photo finish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of photo finish was in 1935

Dictionary Entries Near photo finish

Cite this Entry

“Photo finish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/photo%20finish. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

photo finish

noun
1
: a finish of a race in which contestants are so close that a photograph of them crossing the finish line has to be examined to decide the winner
2
: a close contest (as in an election)

More from Merriam-Webster on photo finish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!