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Showing results for hairline. Search instead for hairpin+bend.
Synonyms

hairline

American  
[hair-lahyn] / ˈhɛərˌlaɪn /

noun

  1. a very slender line.

  2. the lower edge of the hair, especially along the upper forehead.

    a hairline that slowly receded.

  3. worsted fabric woven with very fine lines or stripes.

  4. Printing.

    1. a very thin line on the face of a type.

    2. a style of type consisting entirely of such lines. line.

    3. a thin rule for printing fine lines. line.

    4. undesirable vertical lines line between letters, caused by worn matrices.

adjective

  1. narrow or fine as a hair.

    a hairline fracture.
hairline British  
/ ˈhɛəˌlaɪn /

noun

  1. the natural margin formed by hair on the head

    1. a very narrow line

    2. ( as modifier )

      a hairline crack

  3. printing

    1. a thin stroke in a typeface

    2. any typeface consisting of such strokes

    3. thin lines beside a character, produced by worn or poorly cast type

  4. a rope or line of hair

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hairline

First recorded in 1725–35; hair + line 1

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.

Joseph’s look contrasts with the somewhat scruffy beard and receding hairline of the donor kneeling at the right.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

Dodgers catcher Will Smith has a hairline fracture in his right hand and is doubtful to return before the end of the regular season, according to manager Dave Roberts.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2025

With chilling nonchalance, Victor observes the start of a hairline fracture that will eventually produce a painful crack.

From Salon • Jul. 28, 2025

The site's eventual closure was sealed when hairline cracks were found in the graphite bricks which make up its nuclear cores.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2025

Yes, Rae’s hugging you now, and you can smell her coconut shampoo, and her maybe-a-little-teenybopperish-but-totally-works-for-her perfume, and even a little bit of the sweet sweat at her hairline.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.