6 VERB If you hail a taxi, you wave at it in order to stop it because you want the driver to take you somewhere. □ [V n] I hurried away to hail a taxi.
Hai l Ma ry (Hail Marys ) N‑COUNT A Hail Mary is a prayer to the Virgin Mary that is said by Roman Catholics.
hail|stone /he I lstoʊn/ (hailstones ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Hailstones are small balls of ice that fall like rain from the sky.
hail|storm /he I lstɔː r m/ (hailstorms ) also hail storm N‑COUNT A hailstorm is a storm during which it hails.
hair ◆◆◇ /heə r / (hairs )
1 N‑VAR Your hair is the fine threads that grow in a mass on your head. □ I wash my hair every night. □ …a girl with long blonde hair. □ I get some grey hairs but I pull them out.
2 N‑VAR Hair is the short, fine threads that grow on different parts of your body. □ The majority of men have hair on their chest. □ It tickled the hairs on the back of my neck.
3 N‑VAR Hair is the threads that cover the body of an animal such as a dog, or make up a horse's mane and tail. □ I am allergic to cat hair. □ …dog hairs on the carpet.
4 PHRASE If you let your hair down , you relax completely and enjoy yourself. □ …the world-famous Oktoberfest, a time when everyone in Munich really lets their hair down.
5 PHRASE Something that makes your hair stand on end shocks or frightens you very much. □ This was the kind of smile that made your hair stand on end.
6 PHRASE If you say that someone has not a hair out of place , you are emphasizing that they are extremely smart and neatly dressed. [EMPHASIS ] □ She had a lot of make-up on and not a hair out of place.
7 PHRASE If you say that someone faced with a shock or a problem does not turn a hair , you mean that they do not show any surprise or fear, and remain completely calm. □ I explained my situation and he didn't turn a hair.
8 PHRASE If you say that someone is splitting hairs , you mean that they are making unnecessary distinctions between things when the differences between them are so small they are not important. □ Don't split hairs. You know what I'm getting at.
hair|brush /heə r brʌʃ/ (hairbrushes ) N‑COUNT A hairbrush is a brush that you use to brush your hair.
hai r care also haircare N‑UNCOUNT Hair care is all the things people do to keep their hair clean, healthy-looking, and attractive. □ …an American maker of haircare products.
hair|cut /heə r kʌt/ (haircuts )
1 N‑COUNT If you have a haircut , someone cuts your hair for you. □ Your hair is all right; it's just that you need a haircut.
2 N‑COUNT A haircut is the style in which your hair has been cut. □ Who's that guy with the funny haircut?
hair|do /heə r duː/ (hairdos ) N‑COUNT A hairdo is the style in which your hair has been cut and arranged. [INFORMAL ]
hair|dresser /heə r dresə r / (hairdressers )
1 N‑COUNT A hairdresser is a person who cuts, colours, and arranges people's hair.
2 N‑COUNT A hairdresser or a hairdresser's is a shop where a hairdresser works.
hair|dressing /heə r dres I ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT Hairdressing is the job or activity of cutting, colouring, and arranging people's hair.
hair|dry|er /heə r dra I ə r / (hairdryers ) also hairdrier N‑COUNT A hairdryer is a machine that you use to dry your hair.
-haired /-heə r d/ COMB -haired combines with adjectives to describe the length, colour, or type of hair that someone has. □ He was a small, dark-haired man.
hair|grip /heə rgr I p/ (hairgrips ) also hair-grip N‑COUNT A hairgrip is a small piece of metal or plastic bent back on itself, which you use to hold your hair in position. [mainly BRIT ] in AM, use bobby pin
hair|less /heə r ləs/ ADJ A part of your body that is hairless has no hair on it.
hair|line /heə r la I n/ (hairlines )
1 N‑COUNT [usu sing, oft poss N ] Your hairline is the edge of the area where your hair grows on your head. □ Joanne had a small dark birthmark near her hairline.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] A hairline crack or gap is very narrow or fine. □ He suffered a hairline fracture of the right index finger.
hair|net /heə r net/ (hairnets ) N‑COUNT A hairnet is a small net that some women wear over their hair in order to keep it tidy.
hair|piece /heə r piːs/ (hairpieces ) N‑COUNT A hairpiece is a piece of false hair that some people wear on their head if they are bald or if they want to make their own hair seem longer or thicker.
hair|pin /heə r p I n/ (hairpins )
1 N‑COUNT A hairpin is a small piece of metal or plastic bent back on itself which someone uses to hold their hair in position.
2 N‑COUNT A hairpin is the same as a hairpin bend .
hai r|pin be nd (hairpin bends ) N‑COUNT A hairpin bend or a hairpin is a very sharp bend in a road, where the road turns back in the opposite direction.
hai r-raising ADJ A hair-raising experience, event, or story is very frightening but can also be exciting. □ …hair-raising rides at funfairs.
hai r's breadth N‑SING A hair's breadth is a very small degree or amount. □ The dollar fell to within a hair's breadth of its all-time low.