as in narrow escapes
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 shaves
The Torreys are accustomed to, pun intended, close shaves.
—
Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Nov. 2025
Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for close shaves
close calls
Noun
-
While there have been close calls in the past—in 2003, then-NBA commissioner David Stern threatened to cancel the W’s season during a labor dispute—the W hasn’t lost games to a work stoppage in its 30-year history.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Ewers had a couple of close calls on passes.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Close shaves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/close%20shaves. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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