close call

noun

\ ˈklōs-

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 on the Web

In his speech, Hancock treated his win as a full-on victory, not a close call. — Andrew Kenney, The Denver Post, "Denver mayor’s race: Michael Hancock defeats Jamie Giellis, winning a third and final term," 4 June 2019 The Philippines tends to get hit nearly every year, the Carolinas far less frequently though with lots of close calls, Maue said. — Seth Borenstein, Fox News, "US hurricane, Asian typhoon: 1 brings water, the other, wind," 16 Sep. 2018 After three close calls, Cameron Burrell finally has his individual national title. — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle, "UH's Cameron Burrell wins 100-meter dash to earn first individual NCAA title," 8 June 2018 In a season when stars shone bright, The Crossover staff was faced with several close calls. — The Crossover Staff, SI.com, "The Crossover's 2018 NBA Awards: A Rookie of the Year Battle for the Ages," 11 Apr. 2018 Best Actress in a Leading Role Talk about a close call. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "See If Your 2019 Oscars Predictions Match Up With the Projected Winners," 23 Feb. 2019 Samuelson said the relatively close call should help the Huskies moving forward. — Pat Eaton-robb, The Seattle Times, "UConn holds off Buffalo for 26th straight trip to Sweet 16," 24 Mar. 2019 Several more close calls followed and finally, in 2014, Die Mannschaft earned that elusive fourth star. — Brian Straus, SI.com, "Germany's World Cup Title Defense Aided By San Jose Earthquakes, Silicon Valley," 12 June 2018 The closest call for Manaea came in the sixth inning, when Andrew Benintendi hit a slow tapper to first baseman Matt Olson and avoided Olson's tag to reach safely at first base. — Casey L Moore, USA TODAY, "Athletics' Sean Manaea throws no-hitter against Red Sox," 21 Apr. 2018

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.