The whiskers of an animal such as a cat or a mouse are the long stiff hairs that grow near its mouth.
2. plural noun
You can refer to the hair on a man's face, especially on the sides of his face, as his whiskers.
...wild, savage-looking fellows, with large whiskers, unshaven beards, and dirtyfaces.
3. singular noun
You can use whisker in expressions such as by a whisker or within a whisker of to indicate that something happened or is true, but only by a very small amount or degree.
A new pet census showed that cats now outnumber dogs by a whisker (7 million to 6.9million).
She came within a whisker of taking a gold medal. [+ of]
Unemployment is now a whisker away from three million.
whisker in British English
(ˈwɪskə)
noun
1.
any of the stiff sensory hairs growing on the face of a cat, rat, or other mammal
Technical name: vibrissa
2.
any of the hairs growing on a person's face, esp on the cheeks or chin
3. (plural)
a beard or that part of it growing on the sides of the face
4. (plural) informal
a moustache
5. Also called: whisker boom, whisker pole
any light spar used for extending the clews of a sail, esp in light airs
6. chemistry
a very fine filamentary crystal having greater strength than the bulk material since it is a single crystal. Such crystals often show unusual electrical properties
7.
a person or thing that whisks
8.
a narrow margin; a small distance
he escaped death by a whisker
whisker in American English
(ˈhwɪskər; ˈwɪskər)
noun
1. [pl.]
a. Archaic
a mustache
b.
the hair growing on a man's face; esp., the beard on the cheeks
2.
a.
a hair of a man's beard
b.
any of the long, bristly hairs growing on each side of the upper lip of a cat, rat, etc.; vibrissa
3.
a very small, hairlike, single-crystal filament of high tensile strength, grown on certain metals, alloys, crystals, etc. and serving to reinforce the material
4.
a very small amount or margin
to lose an election by a whisker
5. Nautical
either of two spars extending laterally one on each side of the bowsprit, for spreading the jib and flying jib guys
: also whisker boom
Derived forms
whiskered (ˈwhiskered)
adjective
whiskery (ˈwhiskery)
adjective
Word origin
ME wisker, something used for whisking: see whisk & -er
More idioms containing
whisker
be within a whisker of something
by a whisker
come within a whisker of doing something
Examples of 'whisker' in a sentence
whisker
We were a gnat's whisker away from winning.
The Sun (2016)
With his big whiskers and fluffy moustache, he looks as if he might have a chance at best of breed himself.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Pet lovers will think this is the cat 's whiskers - a pendant with a pic of their kitty.
The Sun (2016)
We were a whisker from death.
The Sun (2009)
Winter is just a whisker away.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Oh my ears and whiskers, no!
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Next month's drive urges fellas to grow whiskers to raise cancer awareness.
The Sun (2013)
Against It is growing whiskers now and is being eclipsed by younger and better rivals.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
We used to park next to each other and thought we were the cat 's whiskers.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This film is the cat 's whiskers.
The Sun (2014)
She still looks the cat 's whiskers though.
The Sun (2011)
And the job they did turned out to be the cat 's whiskers.
The Sun (2006)
A lord mayor's chauffeur is just a few whiskers away from becoming a world moustache champion.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The heavily indebted football club has struggled on and off the pitch since the American duo took control and is a whisker away from bankruptcy.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
He was a real old-fashioned man with whiskers, a tall hat and a big old cape.
Max Arthur Lost Voices of the Edwardians: 19011910 in the words of the Men & Women Who WereThere (2006)
Look the cat 's whiskers.
The Sun (2013)
But does he look the cat 's whisker - or like something it dragged in?
The Sun (2006)
But I haven't caught a whisker of her man.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
AS jobs go, it was the cat 's whiskers.
The Sun (2008)
I'm not saying we should all grow whiskers, but there is such a thing as growing old with decorum.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In other languages
whisker
British English: whisker NOUN
The whiskers of an animal such as a cat or a mouse are the long stiff hairs that grow near its mouth.
American English: whisker
Brazilian Portuguese: bigode
Chinese: > 须猫、鼠等动物的
European Spanish: bigote
French: moustache
German: Schnurrhaar
Italian: baffidi gatto, topo
Japanese: ひげ
Korean: > 수염고양이 등의
European Portuguese: bigode
Latin American Spanish: bigote
All related terms of 'whisker'
cat's whisker
a pointed wire used to make contact with the crystal in a crystal radio receiver
whisker boom
any of the stiff sensory hairs growing on the face of a cat , rat , or other mammal
whisker pole
any of the stiff sensory hairs growing on the face of a cat , rat , or other mammal
by a whisker
if you succeed in doing something by a whisker , you almost fail . If you fail to do something by a whisker, you almost succeed.