perilously close to
idiom
somewhat formal
: at or to a point where one is in great danger of (something happening)
The company was perilously close to bankruptcy.
She came perilously close to drowning.
Examples of perilously close to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When the Palisades fire swept through the Los Angeles area in January, flames came perilously close to the Getty Villa, the art museum founded by oil tycoon J. Paul Getty in 1974.
—
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 July 2025
His spouse is perilously close to beginning an affair with the best man at their wedding, now one of his authors, a war poet disillusioned by violence and fanaticism.
—Thomas Mallon, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Several brawlers came perilously close to tumbling over the second-deck railing into the lower bowl below.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2025
For example, according to then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the two sides came perilously close to a nuclear exchange during a 2019 crisis after India informed the Americans that Pakistan was preparing to deploy nuclear weapons.
—Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for perilously close to
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 July 2025
His spouse is perilously close to beginning an affair with the best man at their wedding, now one of his authors, a war poet disillusioned by violence and fanaticism.
—Thomas Mallon, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Several brawlers came perilously close to tumbling over the second-deck railing into the lower bowl below.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2025
For example, according to then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the two sides came perilously close to a nuclear exchange during a 2019 crisis after India informed the Americans that Pakistan was preparing to deploy nuclear weapons.
—Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for perilously close to
Cite this Entry
“Perilously close to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perilously%20close%20to. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share