photo finish
noun
1
: a race or finish in which contestants are so close that a photograph of them as they cross the finish line has to be examined to determine the winner
2
: a close contest
Examples of photo finish in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The photo finish for the men’s 100m final was taken with Omega’s Scan’O'Vision, which was used to determine the winner.
—
Athena Sobhan, Peoplemag, 5 Aug. 2024
Their endurance elimination ended in an extremely confusing photo finish, and host TJ Lavin announced that Derrick beat Horacio.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 5 Sep. 2024
Hector Vivas / Getty Images The race was so close that even the commentators nearly called the wrong winner before the photo finish, which showed Lyles first to lean over the finish line even as others managed to step over it before him.
—Josh Feldman, NBC News, 4 Aug. 2024
The stakes couldn’t be higher in a race that shows ample signs of a photo finish on Nov. 5.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for photo finish 
Athena Sobhan, Peoplemag, 5 Aug. 2024
Their endurance elimination ended in an extremely confusing photo finish, and host TJ Lavin announced that Derrick beat Horacio.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 5 Sep. 2024
Hector Vivas / Getty Images The race was so close that even the commentators nearly called the wrong winner before the photo finish, which showed Lyles first to lean over the finish line even as others managed to step over it before him.
—Josh Feldman, NBC News, 4 Aug. 2024
The stakes couldn’t be higher in a race that shows ample signs of a photo finish on Nov. 5.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for photo finish
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'photo finish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near photo finish
Cite this Entry
“Photo finish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/photo%20finish. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share