close/tight finish

noun

: an end of a race or contest in which the winner is ahead by a very small amount
The race had a close/tight finish.

Examples of close/tight finish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Regardless of yet another cruelly close finish for Serrano, the trilogy was about something more than a rivalry. — Mark Puleo, New York Times, 12 July 2025 Jim Hines wins the first semifinal in a tight finish with Ronny Ray Smith, becoming the first man to break the 10-second barrier. — Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025 In the Kentucky Derby, the first Triple Crown race of the season, fans were treated to quite a tight finish. — Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025 Richard Childress Racing's Austin Hill took the win at Talladega Superspeedway today after a close finish. — Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Apr. 2025 Employing Pitino’s signature full-court press, St. John’s was able to muck up the game to set up a close finish. — Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 22 Mar. 2025 Battleground Arizona was the closest state in the 2020 election — President Joe Biden beat Trump by fewer than 11,000 votes — and the race is shaping up for another close finish next month. — Stephanie Murray, The Arizona Republic, 6 Oct. 2024 The end of the event, the running portion of the triathlon, included a close finish that saw the U.S. narrowly edge out Great Britain for second place. — Jack Birle, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 5 Aug. 2024 In a close finish, Mystik Dan won the Kentucky Derby by a mere horse's nostril over Sierra Leone. — Emma Bowman, NPR, 4 May 2024

Browse Nearby Words

close the gap
close/tight finish
close time
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Close/tight finish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/close%2Ftight%20finish. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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