fingernail
gb/fˈɪŋɡɚnˌeɪl/ us/fˈɪŋɡɚnˌeɪl/
A2
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
nail on the end of a finger
The hard part at the end of your finger.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s fingernail; (a) fingernail; fingernails
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse fingernail (finger) with toenail (toe), or say just nail when they need to be specific.
Synonyms
nail (More general; can mean a fingernail or a toenail.)
Antonyms
toenail (A nail on a toe rather than on a finger.)
Collocations
bite your fingernails
|cut your fingernails
|trim your fingernails
|file your fingernails
|paint your fingernails
|fingernail polish
|break a fingernail
|dirty fingernails
|long fingernails
|fingernail clippings
Themes
body
|health
|grooming
|daily_life
Examples
- I broke a fingernail opening the package.
- She painted her fingernails bright red for the wedding.
- There was dirt under his fingernails after working in the garden.
Learner examples
- I cut my fingernails every week.
- My fingernail is broken.
Grammar
Expressions
a fingernail's breadth
1/ə fˈɪŋɡɚnˌeɪlz bɹˈɛdθ/
idiom
literary
a very small distance
A very small distance.
Examples
- The ball missed the post by a fingernail’s breadth.
- We came within a fingernail’s breadth of reaching our target.
bite your fingernails
1/bˈaɪt jˈʊɹ fˈɪŋɡɚnˌeɪlz/
fixed phrase
show nervousness by chewing nails
To chew your nails because you feel nervous.
Examples
- He always bites his fingernails before an interview.
- Stop biting your fingernails—you’ll make them bleed.
by a fingernail
1/bˈaɪ ə fˈɪŋɡɚnˌeɪl/
idiom
by a very small amount
By a tiny difference.
Examples
- She won the election by a fingernail.
- They missed the train by a fingernail.
fingernail polish
1/fˈɪŋɡɚnˌeɪl pˈɑlɪʃ/
fixed phrase
colored liquid for painting nails
Paint you put on your nails for color.
Examples
- She removed her fingernail polish with nail polish remover.
- I bought a bottle of clear fingernail polish.
get dirt under your fingernails
1/ɡˈɛt dˈɚt ˈʌndɚ jˈʊɹ fˈɪŋɡɚnˌeɪlz/
idiom
informal
do real practical hands-on work
To do real work with your hands.
Examples
- If you want to learn carpentry, you have to get dirt under your fingernails.
- She isn’t afraid to get dirt under her fingernails and help on the shop floor.
hang on by your fingernails
1/hˈæŋ ˈɔn bˈaɪ jˈʊɹ fˈɪŋɡɚnˌeɪlz/
idiom
barely manage to survive or continue
To continue, but only just.
Examples
- With rent going up, we’re hanging on by our fingernails.
- After the injury, he was hanging on by his fingernails in the race.