hairbreadths

noun

variants or hairsbreadths
plural of hairbreadth
as in inches
a very small distance or degree just missed the bull's-eye by a hairbreadth

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hairbreadths
  1. inches
  2. steps
Noun
  • Standing at just over eight inches, the curiously contemporary-looking object bears the reign mark of the Qianlong Emperor.
    — Stephy Chung, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • And in its place was the absolute pleasure of watching Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder play their characters perfectly on my favorite show, just a few inches away.
    — Merrill Markoe, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of inches
Noun
  • Roughly 10 miles from downtown in North Austin’s Domain district, this four-acre western-style retro hotel is near tech offices and steps from a wide mix of dining, designer shopping, and Rock Rose, the area’s nightlife hub.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
  • According to Mann, the past approach to budget neutrality did not involve as many preapproval steps.
    — Nathan Ansell, Arkansas Online, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of steps
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

hairbreadth escapes
hairbreadths
haircut
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hairbreadths.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hairbreadths. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of prowess

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All