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
Then came the injury and a handful of close calls in conference play before a brutal tournament pairing that required five straight wins over teams ranked in the top 17.
—
Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
At Rhein Haus, a tape measure settles the close calls.
—Brittany Anas, Denver Post, 3 Apr. 2026
There were no close calls like the following year’s narrow win over Stanford.
—Devon Henderson, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images A CBS News report found pilots at LaGuardia have complained about close calls and air traffic control confusion for years.
—Marcia Kramer, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
The two talked about some of Billy's close calls with death, his journey with music, his family and his identity.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 26 Mar. 2026
There have been some close calls along the way.
—Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
Other passengers told similar stories of close calls amid the chaos.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
Of course, close calls are far more common.
—Katie Jackson, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026
Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
At Rhein Haus, a tape measure settles the close calls.
—Brittany Anas, Denver Post, 3 Apr. 2026
There were no close calls like the following year’s narrow win over Stanford.
—Devon Henderson, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images A CBS News report found pilots at LaGuardia have complained about close calls and air traffic control confusion for years.
—Marcia Kramer, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
The two talked about some of Billy's close calls with death, his journey with music, his family and his identity.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 26 Mar. 2026
There have been some close calls along the way.
—Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
Other passengers told similar stories of close calls amid the chaos.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
Of course, close calls are far more common.
—Katie Jackson, Outside, 19 Mar. 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 7 Apr. 2026.
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