noun
hair
HEH-uh
noun
1
A thin strand that grows from the skin of humans and many animals.
"A single grey hair stood out among the rest."
"The cat left hair all over the sofa."
2
All the hair growing on a person's head, especially considered as a style.
"She dyed her hair a deep shade of red."
"He runs his fingers through his hair when he's nervous."
3
A very small amount or degree.
"The bus missed the pothole by a hair."
"Move the picture frame a hair to the left."
How to Use Hair
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe thin strands that grow from skin, especially on the head, or a tiny amount of something.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "hare," the animal — they sound identical but are unrelated.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
a strand of hair
cut your hair
a hair out of place
by a hair
Word Forms
haired past tense, hairs plural, Hairs plural, hairs singular
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Etymology
From Old English hær, an ancient Germanic word going back to a root meaning "to scrape or comb," found with close cousins in Dutch (haar) and German (Haar).