How to Use arm's length in a Sentence

arm's length

noun
  • Hold that figure at arm's length.
    — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
  • Take your thumb and hold it at arm's length from your face and close one eye.
    — Rhett Allain, Wired, 3 Mar. 2021
  • Grab a dumbbell in each hand and hold them at arm's length next to your chest.
    — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2022
  • With his other arm, the coach holds the student at arm's length.
    — Dakin Andone, CNN, 19 Oct. 2019
  • The idea of being an arm's length away from art just doesn't compute any more.
    — refinery29.com, 18 June 2018
  • And the parent should be no more than an arm's length away, and not on a cellphone or a tablet.
    — Washington Post, 3 Aug. 2019
  • Cut the paper into strips of about 8 inches wide and an arm's length long.
    — New York Times, 27 July 2023
  • The Bucks kept battling back but stayed at arm's length until the second half.
    — Matt Velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2018
  • Most entrepreneurs try to keep them at arm's length, valuing their money more than their advice.
    — Mark Gimein, The Week, 29 Nov. 2022
  • But that’s fine for a car, because an arm's length is long enough to reach a charger buried beneath the pavement.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 3 Mar. 2023
  • Their job, however, is not to run the place but to stand back at arm's length and have the museum run by pros.
    — Christopher Knight, latimes.com, 26 May 2018
  • People can almost come within an arm's length of the massive capsule.
    — James Ewinger, cleveland.com, 13 Oct. 2017
  • Robinson hit a trio of big baskets in the fourth quarter that kept the Hornets at arm's length.
    — Jr Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 21 May 2021
  • But the Crown Point defense was steady enough to keep the Kingsmen at arm's length.
    — Matthew Vantryon, Indianapolis Star, 28 Dec. 2019
  • When does a vendor become a strategic partner, no longer at arm's length but seated at the table?
    — Eric Gilbertsen, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2022
  • Many were captured on camera clapping backs, shaking hands and talking, barely at arm's length.
    — Hope Yen, Star Tribune, 11 Oct. 2020
  • Chubb also might just be good enough to keep Hunt at stiff-arm's length after his return from suspension.
    — Des Bieler, chicagotribune.com, 8 Aug. 2019
  • Happy appears to run to his wife's aide, pull the bobcat off her body and hold the cat at arm's length as the animal writhes in his hands.
    — Wilson Wong, NBC News, 19 Apr. 2021
  • Others, however, are still keeping Leah — and by proxy, her sister — at arm's length.
    — Jodi Walker, EW.com, 5 June 2020
  • This is intervention at arm's length -- a respectful way to help where few such options exist.
    — Carolyn Hax, al, 2 May 2019
  • There are signs more institutions are deciding to at least keep Butler at arm's length.
    — Michael Tarm, Aurora Beacon-News, 26 Apr. 2018
  • For years, pianist Fred Hersch kept his two identities at arm's length from each other.
    — Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2017
  • Start with 2-3 feeders located within arm's length of each other.
    — Jordan Green, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Xavier kept the Friars an arm's length away all night in front of arguably the most hostile crowd Xavier's seen all season.
    — Adam Baum, The Enquirer, 2 Mar. 2023
  • And, bluntly, in the long-term, that will likely mean keeping Washington at an arm's length on many key issues.
    — Luke McGee, CNN, 19 June 2021
  • With that cushion, the Heat were able to keep the Bucks at arm's length until their flurry in the final seconds.
    — Matt Velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2 Sep. 2020
  • But Goumas also made direct eye contact with another set of birds that approached the chips, which were just an arm's length away.
    — Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 7 Aug. 2019
  • She is still weighed down by the grief of losing her father, so her primary tactic is to hold everyone but her sister at arm's length.
    — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 4 Feb. 2022
  • To the astronauts, the moon will appear out Orion's window to be about the size of a basketball held at an arm's length.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Kentucky kept their Buckeye counterparts at arm's length the rest of the way, never letting the lead get smaller than nine.
    — Brendan Connelly, The Enquirer, 9 Apr. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'arm's length.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: