as in narrow escape
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 call
An Academy Awards that had looked like a runaway might be a close call, after all.
—
ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
Anybody who has walked or biked in and around La Jolla has certainly experienced a close call with a speeding car not checking its blind spots.
—Letters To The Editor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
The National Transportation Safety Board said the FAA and the Army did not share safety data with each other about the alarming number of close calls around Reagan National Airport and failed to address the risks.
—Mosheh Gains, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
Highlighting the danger was a close call for a Calaveras County Sheriff's Office deputy.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for close call
ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
Anybody who has walked or biked in and around La Jolla has certainly experienced a close call with a speeding car not checking its blind spots.
—Letters To The Editor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
The National Transportation Safety Board said the FAA and the Army did not share safety data with each other about the alarming number of close calls around Reagan National Airport and failed to address the risks.
—Mosheh Gains, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
Highlighting the danger was a close call for a Calaveras County Sheriff's Office deputy.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for close call
Recent Examples of Synonyms for close call
close shave
Noun
-
Mid-Atlantic and Northeast: close shave between a blizzard and a blustery day Farther north into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, forecast confidence drops sharply, with the storm’s eventual track playing a critical role in determining impacts.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Last week, for example, a satellite recently deployed by a Chinese rocket gave a Starlink spacecraft a close shave, apparently without providing the proper warning ahead of time.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
18 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Close call.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/close%20call. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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