1. a narrow escape from danger or trouble.
Examples from the web for close call
- Were the vote to be held today, it would be a close call.
- In the aftermath of the close call, a détente seems far out of reach.
- Though thinking about it, that was a real close call, it being hidden in the middle of the paper.
- For hundreds of thousands more, it was either a life-changing calamity or a close call.
- It's good to see that he's almost certainly eligible to remain that way after that frightening close call.
- Understanding the definition of near miss-also known as close call.
- Fairly easy to catch, raccoons are not particularly suspicious of a trap unless they have had a previous close call.
- Individual performance is seldom the sole reason for an adverse event or close call.
- Meetings begin with a safety sharing moment or discussion of the findings of close call investigations.
- The difference between a traffic accident and a close call can be a matter of seconds.
British Dictionary definitions for close call
Slang definitions & phrases for close call
close shave
noun phrase A very narrow avoidance or evasion of some danger; squeaker (1834+)
Idioms and Phrases with close call
Also, close shave . Narrow escape, near miss. For example, That skier just missed the tree—what a close call , or That was a close shave, nearly leaving your passport behind . The first phrase dates from the late 1800s and comes from sports, alluding to an official's decision ( call ) that could have gone either way. The second, from the early 1800s, alludes to the narrow margin between closely shaved skin and a razor cut. (This latter usage replaced the much earlier equation of a close shave with miserliness, based on the idea that a close shave by a barber meant one would not have to spend money on another shave quite so soon.) Also see too close for comfort