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

Aoba Fujino missed wide by a whisker, and Fuka Nagano hit the crossbar from 25 yards.

From Washington Post • Feb. 19, 2023

Some members claim the election results were an indicator that Coventry voters were also unhappy with the choices of Labour candidates as they held on to the two seats by a whisker.

From BBC • Nov. 11, 2021

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)