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by a whisker

prepositional phrase

By a very small distance.

“I'm lucky to be alive. The bus missed me by a whisker.”

Similar

by a nose by a nose length by a whisper

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Meanings

prepositional phrase

idiomaticBy a very small distance.
I'm lucky to be alive. The bus missed me by a whisker.
1 more example
Her communitarian platform Barcelona en Comú won by a whisker, and there was an initial period of transition from Colau the activist who fought the police to Colau the mayor who was responsible for them.
2023 May 27, Stephen Burgen, “‘They say I should clean floors’: Barcelona’s working-class, leftwing mayor Ada Colau fights for third term”, in The Observer, →ISSN
Synonyms: by a nose, by a nose length, by a whisper

Synonyms & antonyms

prepositional phraseBy a very small distance.

Similar

by a nose by a nose length by a whisper

Also see

by a nose by a nose length by a whisper

Cite this entry

APA

by a whisker. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by%20a%20whisker

MLA

“by a whisker.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by%20a%20whisker. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “by a whisker,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by%20a%20whisker.

Source: by a whisker on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.