Meanings
plural narrow escapes
- A situation in which some danger or unfortunate circumstance is only just avoided.
1 more example
Meredith referred to the turnpike or carriage road constructed by the Tredegar Iron Company alongside the tramroad from Penllwyn Mawr to Tredegar, and said there was no fence between the two; he had experienced narrow escapes at times when on horseback, for horses occasionally took fright when meeting locomotives.
1939 September, Charles E. Lee, “The Sirhowy Valley and Its Railways—I”, in The Railway Magazine, London: Tothill Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 207Synonyms: close call, close shave, near miss
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA situation in which some danger or unfortunate circumstance is only just avoided.
More synonyms by meaning
nounsomething achieved (or escaped) by a narrow margin
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From narrow (“having a small degree or margin”, adjective) + escape (noun).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian премеждие
- премеждие (premeždie)situation in which some danger or unfortunate circumstance is only just avoided
Finnish täpärä pelastuminen
- täpärä pelastuminensituation in which some danger or unfortunate circumstance is only just avoided
French l’échapper belle
- l’échapper bellesituation in which some danger or unfortunate circumstance is only just avoided
Māori ora noa, ora pito
- ora noasituation in which some danger or unfortunate circumstance is only just avoided
- ora pitosituation in which some danger or unfortunate circumstance is only just avoided
Polish uniknięcie o mały włos
- uniknięcie o mały włossituation in which some danger or unfortunate circumstance is only just avoided
Tagalog lusót
- lusótsituation in which some danger or unfortunate circumstance is only just avoided
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with narrow escape
Cite this entry
narrow escape. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/narrow%20escape
“narrow escape.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/narrow%20escape. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “narrow escape,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/narrow%20escape.
Source: narrow escape on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.