as in narrow escape
a barely successful escape from something undesirable
the passengers in the jeep had a close shave when a mine exploded just a few yards away
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Recent Examples of close shave
Their characters have had plenty of close shaves, although most didn't involve razors.
—
Chris Cosgrove, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Cartridge razors feature disposable cartridges, where two to six blades are tightly spaced for a quick, close shave.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 27 Mar. 2025
The metal of the razor is protected by a ceramic guard, ensuring there’s no tugging or cutting the skin while still allowing for a close shave.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 1 Mar. 2025
The metal of the razor is protected by a ceramic guard, ensuring there’s no tugging or cutting the skin while still allowing for a close shave.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 1 Mar. 2025
Looking Ahead: The Anteaters survived an extremely close shave with a talented UC Santa Barbara team last Thursday to stay alive in the at-large picture.
—Jim Root, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
Both losses were close shaves, 51-47 to T.F. South and 45-42 to Oak Lawn.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 14 Feb. 2025
Safety razors and straight razors are quite easy to shave with (and get you a close shave), but there is a small learning curve.
—Parker Hall, WIRED, 2 Feb. 2025
Both Vicario and Forster, his deputy, have had their share of close shaves this season, most recently at Bournemouth a couple of weeks ago, where Kulusevski felt like a sitting duck for Tyler Adams when the straight pass arrived.
—Stuart James, The Athletic, 19 Dec. 2024
Chris Cosgrove, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Cartridge razors feature disposable cartridges, where two to six blades are tightly spaced for a quick, close shave.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 27 Mar. 2025
The metal of the razor is protected by a ceramic guard, ensuring there’s no tugging or cutting the skin while still allowing for a close shave.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 1 Mar. 2025
The metal of the razor is protected by a ceramic guard, ensuring there’s no tugging or cutting the skin while still allowing for a close shave.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 1 Mar. 2025
Looking Ahead: The Anteaters survived an extremely close shave with a talented UC Santa Barbara team last Thursday to stay alive in the at-large picture.
—Jim Root, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
Both losses were close shaves, 51-47 to T.F. South and 45-42 to Oak Lawn.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 14 Feb. 2025
Safety razors and straight razors are quite easy to shave with (and get you a close shave), but there is a small learning curve.
—Parker Hall, WIRED, 2 Feb. 2025
Both Vicario and Forster, his deputy, have had their share of close shaves this season, most recently at Bournemouth a couple of weeks ago, where Kulusevski felt like a sitting duck for Tyler Adams when the straight pass arrived.
—Stuart James, The Athletic, 19 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for close shave
close call
Noun
-
And last Friday, a Delta Air Lines flight departing the airport experienced a close call just after takeoff as four Air Force jets were headed toward a flyover at Arlington National Cemetary.—
Kris Van Cleave,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Mistakes, close calls, and momentum swings are the norm, not the exception.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
30 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Close shave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/close%20shave. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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