as in narrow escape
a barely successful escape from something undesirable
the doctor said I'd had a close call, and was lucky to be alive
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Recent Examples of close call
In May, the FAA barred the Army from flying helicopters near the Pentagon after a May 1 close call that forced two civilian planes to abort landings.
—
Reuters, NBC news, 3 Nov. 2025
In May, the FAA barred the Army from flying helicopters near the Pentagon after a May 1 close call that forced two civilian planes to abort landings.
—David Shepardson, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Make Each Encounter a Practice Session Make the most of every close call with game.
—The Editors, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025
Those mistakes had decided the last two games in the series — both close calls that KU lost.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for close call
Reuters, NBC news, 3 Nov. 2025
In May, the FAA barred the Army from flying helicopters near the Pentagon after a May 1 close call that forced two civilian planes to abort landings.
—David Shepardson, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Make Each Encounter a Practice Session Make the most of every close call with game.
—The Editors, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025
Those mistakes had decided the last two games in the series — both close calls that KU lost.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for close call
Recent Examples of Synonyms for close call
close shave
Noun
-
Last week, for example, a satellite recently deployed by a Chinese rocket gave a Starlink spacecraft a close shave, apparently without providing the proper warning ahead of time.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
18 Dec. 2025
-
The Torreys are accustomed to, pun intended, close shaves.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Close call.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/close%20call. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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