(~s)
1.
The ~s of an animal such as a cat or a mouse are the long stiff hairs that grow near its mouth.
N-COUNT: usu pl
2.
You can refer to the hair on a man’s face, especially on the sides of his face, as his ~s.
...wild, savage-looking fellows, with large ~s, unshaven beards, and dirty faces.
N-PLURAL
3.
You can use ~ in expressions such as by a ~ or within a ~ 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 ~ (7 million to 6.9 million)...
She came within a ~ of taking a gold medal...
Unemployment is now a ~ away from three million.
N-SING