by a whisker

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Before that, he was third in the Kentucky Derby by a whisker while being on the receiving end of some bumping down the stretch by Sierra Leone.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2025

Celtic won, by a whisker or by a mile, it doesn't really matter.

From BBC • Dec. 15, 2024

Substitute Kimarni Smith missed by a whisker after keeping his balance instead of trying to draw a penalty kick.

From Washington Post • Jul. 23, 2022

They tried it last year and it failed by a whisker, so now they're setting things up to pull it off in 2024.

From Salon • Oct. 20, 2021

Sirius IV got in first by a whisker, it seems, but Aldebaran II was so close a second that it was a photo finish, and all the channels have been jammed ever since.

From The Vortex Blaster by Smith, E. E. (Edward Elmer)