close call
noun
\ ˈklōs-
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Definition of close call
: a narrow escape
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Examples of close call in a Sentence
We nearly didn't get out of the burning building. It was a pretty close call, let me tell you!
the doctor said I'd had a close call, and was lucky to be alive
Recent Examples on the Web
The closest call was in August 1865, when the Confederate raider Shenandoah, under Capt. — Bill Van Niekerken, SFChronicle.com, "How Fort Point, protector of SF, was saved at foot of Golden Gate Bridge," 14 Aug. 2019 After numerous close calls, the first successful fairing catch occurred in June, after SpaceX’s third Falcon Heavy launch. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "Watch SpaceX’s net-wielding boat slowly catch a rocket nose cone falling from the sky," 7 Aug. 2019 Some of the close calls are a result of supremely defensive tactics and/or stellar goalkeeping, but going toe-to-toe is not going to be a sound strategy to close the gap. — Avi Creditor, SI.com, "Too-Early Reactions After Each Nation's First Women's World Cup Match," 11 June 2019 Cleveland's won the first three games against Chicago by an average of 10.7 points, and that's counting the close call right before Christmas. — Joe Vardon, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers at Chicago Bulls, Game 69 preview and listings," 17 Mar. 2018 There were several close calls during a physical special-teams drills in which one player would sprint at an angle, turn around and block his opponent. — Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, "49ers’ practice report: Garoppolo rebounds from 5-INT disaster," 16 Aug. 2019 But there were no fights and there were no crashes, even if there were close calls. — Los Angeles Times, "Man and myth, Part II: A return to Brotherhood Raceway, and Big Willie Robinson’s legacy," 8 Aug. 2019 The close calls remained at the forefront of Bowman’s mind heading into Chicagoland. — Nick Kelly, BostonGlobe.com, "Alex Bowman heads to New Hampshire with victory in hand and renewed confidence," 14 July 2019 These close calls, as well as his status as golf’s Commercial King, are the reason it’s common knowledge that Fowler hasn’t won a major. — Daniel Rapaport, SI.com, "Rickie Fowler in Prime Position for First Major After Stress-Free Start to U.S. Open," 13 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'close call.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for close call
close call
noun
English Language Learners Definition of close call
: an escape that was almost not successful
See the full definition for close call in the English Language Learners Dictionary
close call
noun
\ ˈklōs-
\
\
Kids Definition of close call
: a barely successful escape from a difficult or dangerous situation