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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Recent Examples of close calls
San Antonio’s run of never trailing the finals had some close calls over the years.
—
Tim Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
Recently, several close calls have occurred at airports across the country.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
San Antonio’s run of never trailing in the finals had some close calls over the years.
—Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2026
Multiple aviation close calls have been reported in recent weeks.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 3 June 2026
No doubt, many reading this have had their own close calls or are victims of wayward e-bikes.
—Michael Miller, New York Daily News, 22 May 2026
Still, several surgeons mentioned hearing of close calls.
—Jolene Edgar, Allure, 14 May 2026
While the event miraculously claimed no lives, the close calls were harrowing.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 May 2026
The incident came one day after a separate plane struck a light pole and damaged a bakery truck while landing in New Jersey, marking the latest in a string of aviation close calls.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
Tim Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
Recently, several close calls have occurred at airports across the country.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
San Antonio’s run of never trailing in the finals had some close calls over the years.
—Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2026
Multiple aviation close calls have been reported in recent weeks.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 3 June 2026
No doubt, many reading this have had their own close calls or are victims of wayward e-bikes.
—Michael Miller, New York Daily News, 22 May 2026
Still, several surgeons mentioned hearing of close calls.
—Jolene Edgar, Allure, 14 May 2026
While the event miraculously claimed no lives, the close calls were harrowing.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 May 2026
The incident came one day after a separate plane struck a light pole and damaged a bakery truck while landing in New Jersey, marking the latest in a string of aviation close calls.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for close calls
close shaves
Noun
-
Villa rely on its revenue to push their limits, so going another year on the outside will mean player sales, budget cuts and very, very close shaves with financial sanctions.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The Torreys are accustomed to, pun intended, close shaves.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Close calls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/close%20calls. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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