Come within an inch of doing Meaning in English

expression

US

KUHM wih-THIN an INCH uhv DOO-ing

UK

kum with-IN un INCH ov DOO-ing

Definition

To almost do something, usually something serious, dangerous, impressive, or accidental, but not actually complete the action.

Usage & Nuances

This is an idiomatic and somewhat dramatic way to describe very nearly doing something, often with surprise or relief. Common for talking about accidents ('come within an inch of crashing'), big achievements, or mistakes. Used in all registers but more in storytelling.

• Spanish: estar a punto de - casi hacer
• Portuguese (BR): por pouco não - quase fazer
• Portuguese (PT): por pouco não - quase fazer
• Chinese (Simplified): 差点就（做某事）
• Chinese (Traditional): 差點就（做某事）
• Hindi: करते-करते रह जाना - लगभग करना
• Arabic: اقترب كثيرًا من أن يفعل
• Bengali: একটুও বাকি থাকতো না (কিছু করতে) - প্রায়ই করেই ফেলতাম
• Russian: чуть было не - едва не
• Japanese: 〜しそうになる - 危うく〜しそうになる
• Vietnamese: suýt nữa thì - gần như đã (làm gì đó)
• Korean: 하마터면 ~할 뻔하다 - 거의 ~할 뻔하다
• Turkish: neredeyse yapmak üzere olmak - az kalsın (bir şey yapmak)
• Urdu: بال بال بچنا (کچھ ہونے کے قریب ہونا) - قریب تھا کہ (کچھ ہوجاتا)
• Indonesian: nyaris saja melakukan - hampir saja melakukan

Example Sentences

I came within an inch of losing my keys today.

basic

The car came within an inch of hitting the wall.

basic

She came within an inch of winning the race.

basic

I came within an inch of quitting my job last week, but I changed my mind.

natural

We came within an inch of missing our flight because of traffic.

natural

He came within an inch of telling her the truth, but decided not to.

natural