close call

noun \ ˈklōs- \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Examples: close call in a Sentence

Definition of close call

: a narrow escape

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Examples of close call in a Sentence

We nearly didn't get out of the burning building. It was a pretty close call, let me tell you!
the doctor said I'd had a close call, and was lucky to be alive

Recent Examples of close call from the Web

There were a couple of close calls, most recently the Gap fire in 2008.

— andrea castillo, latimes.com, "Gone in a flash: Goleta family's home of 25 years is lost to fire," 7 July 2018
The play was one of a few close calls for the speedy Staszkiewicz, who twice in the first half almost scored on long runs.

— mark stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Seniors lead a charge that nets the Lancers a second straight WIAA title," 16 June 2018
In between, there are enough close calls that Thorpe doesn’t even know about, as Scott tries to convince officials of the affair using Thorpe’s love letters.

— matthew gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, "‘A Very English Scandal’ rips open a farce, and no one is spared," 27 June 2018
Caldwell also had two close calls during their training, surviving two falls.

— CBS News, "Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell scale El Capitan in under two hours," 7 June 2018
Two other prominent chasers had close calls: The Weather Channel’s Mike Bettes had his car thrown.

— jason samenow, Washington Post, "Five years ago, four of their own died in the monster El Reno tornado. But storm chasers have declined to back away.," 31 May 2018
Louisville City had two close calls in the first half, including George Davis IV's eighth-minute shot blasted over the bar, before finding a goal.

— danielle lerner, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville City FC beats Nashville, advances to US Open Cup quarterfinal," 20 June 2018
On the heels of a loss against Howard and close calls against Mt. Hebron and Wilde Lake earlier in the week, Marriotts Ridge coach Paul Eckert knew the importance of not overlooking a Hammond team that came in to Friday with just one county win.

— brent kennedy, Howard County Times, "Marriotts Ridge baseball, softball sweep Hammond to take control of county title races," 5 May 2018
Albrecht was fortunate enough to catch onto the scam quickly, and hopes others will learn from her close call.

— marlisse cepeda, Woman's Day, "The Facebook Friend Request That Almost Cost This Woman $2,000," 31 Dec. 2014

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'close call.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.