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.

Reform won the first one in Runcorn and Helsby in Cheshire last May, beating Labour by a whisker.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

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

Pickford made a quality save and Harry Maguire’s header missed by a whisker.

From Washington Post • Dec. 10, 2022

They only failed, we're learning, by a whisker.

From Salon • Sep. 29, 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)