hairsbreadth

[ hairz-bredth, -bretth, -breth ]

/ ˈhɛərzˌbrɛdθ, -ˌbrɛtθ, -ˌbrɛθ /

a very small space or distance: We escaped an accident by a hairsbreadth.

extremely narrow or close.

Also hair's-breadth, hairbreadth.

Origin of hairsbreadth

First recorded in 1575–85

I think, mamma, I never depart a hairsbreadth from your will.

The Storm |Aleksandr Nicolaevich Ostrovsky
We catch a word, a touch of flippancy, a suggestion of licence, a covert sneer which goes too far by a hairsbreadth.

Judges and Ruth |Robert A. Watson
It was a fit ending to the first stage of Canadian history—a hopeless venture, a confession of weakness, a hairsbreadth escape.

A Historical Geography of the British Colonies |Charles Prestwood Lucas
He carefully turned an unconnected control knob a hairsbreadth with utmost deliberation and precision.

The Kenzie Report |Mark Clifton

He was more than once within a hairsbreadth of death but at length he was brought by his master, Kakinathucca, to his home.

The Journal of Negro History, Volume 5, 1920 |Various