close calls

plural of close call
as in narrow escapes
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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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 calls Ryall noted that among this year’s choices there were a number of close calls. Eric E. Harrison, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2025 One of the most serious close calls was in March at Chicago's Midway International Airport, where a Southwest Airlines jet aborted landing and performed a go-around after a business jet entered the runway without authorization. Ayesha Ali, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2025 Deanne Criswell, who led FEMA under President Biden and prepared the agency for several shutdown close calls, said a shutdown would likely leave far fewer people in leadership and support roles to guide the disaster response teams. Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025 No injuries or close calls were reported. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 27 Sep. 2025 Practice confident body language and presence; Fortune has highlighted the power of a genuine smile and positive nonverbal signals to differentiate in close calls. Ashley Lutz, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025 But when a beloved bookstore — especially one that’s had some close calls over the years — turns 70, nothing short of a block party will do. Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025 With multiple overtime games, upsets and close calls, Week 2 provided a lot of reasons to shake up this week’s edition of The Athletic 136, just not at the top. Chris Vannini, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025 Then again, close calls against FCS teams – and Northern Colorado isn’t a particularly good FCS team – tend to look even worse in hindsight. Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025

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“Close calls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/close%20calls. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

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