Meanings
plural close calls
- A situation in which an injury or other undesirable outcome is narrowly avoided.
He had a close call when a truck ran a red light and almost hit him.
1 more example
there will be Tom Cruise, as spy extraordinaire Ethan Hunt, running as fast as he can, jumping off cliffs and ultimately saving the day after surviving many close calls.
2023 July 5, Murtada Elfadl, “Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One review: Tom Cruise runs, jumps, and delivers again”, in AV ClubSynonyms: close shave, close thing, narrow escape, narrow squeak, near shave, near thing
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA situation in which an injury or other undesirable outcome is narrowly avoided.
More synonyms by meaning
nounsomething achieved (or escaped) by a narrow margin
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Czech únik o vlásek, uniknutí o chlup
- únik o vláseksituation in which an injury or other undesirable outcome is narrowly avoided
- uniknutí o chlupsituation in which an injury or other undesirable outcome is narrowly avoided
German knapp davongekommen, brenzlige Situation
- knapp davongekommensituation in which an injury or other undesirable outcome is narrowly avoided
- brenzlige Situationsituation in which an injury or other undesirable outcome is narrowly avoided
- brenzlige Lagesituation in which an injury or other undesirable outcome is narrowly avoided
Portuguese escapar por um triz
- escapar por um trizsituation in which an injury or other undesirable outcome is narrowly avoided
Russian на волосок от
- на волосок от (na volosok ot)situation in which an injury or other undesirable outcome is narrowly avoided
Spanish escape por los pelos, escapada de milagro
- escape por los pelossituation in which an injury or other undesirable outcome is narrowly avoided
- escapada de milagrosituation in which an injury or other undesirable outcome is narrowly avoided
- salvada de milagrosituation in which an injury or other undesirable outcome is narrowly avoided
- escapatoria que estuvo demasiado cercasituation in which an injury or other undesirable outcome is narrowly avoided
- salvamiento después de estar a punto de perder asituation in which an injury or other undesirable outcome is narrowly avoided
Cite this entry
close call. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/close%20call
“close call.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/close%20call. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “close call,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/close%20call.
Source: close call on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.