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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of close shave
Our favorites helped our razors glide smoothly across the skin for an ultra-close shave, while aloe vera and almond oil soothed, hydrated, and enhanced the skin’s appearance — mitigating irritation.
—
Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
Meant to be used anywhere and everywhere, this delivers a smooth and close shave by reducing friction with allantoin and infusing skin with shea butter, glycerin and squalane for softness and moisture.
—Celia Shatzman, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
The floating, vibrating head gave me a really close shave, especially with my shaving cream.
—Malia Griggs, Glamour, 16 May 2025
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
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
Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
Meant to be used anywhere and everywhere, this delivers a smooth and close shave by reducing friction with allantoin and infusing skin with shea butter, glycerin and squalane for softness and moisture.
—Celia Shatzman, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
The floating, vibrating head gave me a really close shave, especially with my shaving cream.
—Malia Griggs, Glamour, 16 May 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for close shave
close call
Noun
-
Cats are notorious for finding niche hiding spots—but one curious feline's discovery turned out to be a close call.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
-
After the close call, the Nouvelair flight commenced a go-around and landed safely 16 minutes later, per FlightRadar24.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Close shave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/close%20shave. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share