as in narrow escapes
a barely successful escape from something undesirable
the passengers in the jeep had a close shave when a mine exploded just a few yards away
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Recent Examples of close shaves
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for close shaves
close calls
Noun
-
Stacy, a crossing guard in East Lansdowne who asked that her last name not be used, said the job often puts her in close calls with traffic.—
Madeleine Wright,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
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Their house remained standing after both close calls.—
Vanessa Romo,
NPR,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Close shaves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/close%20shaves. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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