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win by a small margin

[wɪn baɪ ə smɔːl ˈmɑːrdʒɪn]
verb phrase
vencer por uma pequena margem
1. To win a competition, contest, or election with a very narrow or small difference in score or votes between the winner and the loser
The team won by a small margin in the final game of the season.
O time venceu por uma pequena margem no jogo final da temporada.
2. To achieve victory with difficulty, barely succeeding over an opponent
She won by a small margin in the election, receiving only 2% more votes than her opponent.
Ela venceu por uma pequena margem na eleição, recebendo apenas 2% mais votos que sua oponente.
NYC Slang
win by a nose; barely pull it off
Synonyms
win narrowlywin by a nosewin by a hairscrape bybarely winvencer por poucovencer de forma apertada
Antonyms
win by a landslidewin decisivelywin by a large marginvencer por margem amplavencer de forma esmagadora

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
vencer por uma pequena margem
Standard usage across Brazil
São Paulo
ganhar por pouco
More colloquial variant commonly used
Rio de Janeiro
vencer na apertada
Informal/colloquial expression
Portugal
vencer por uma margem apertada
Standard European Portuguese usage

Related Idioms & Phrases

win by the skin of one's teeth
win by a hair
win by a nose
squeeze out a victory
edge out the competition
vencer na apertada
vencer de ponta a ponta
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