narrow escape

Idioms  

1. A barely successful flight from or avoidance of danger or trouble, as in He had a narrow escape, since the bullet came within inches of his head. This expression uses narrow in the sense of “barely sufficient.” [Late 1500s] For a newer synonym, see close call.

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Example Sentences

Buoyed by that narrow escape, Paul then held to love to go 6-5 up, and suddenly the pressure was all on the 24-year-old from Buenos Aires, playing in his first ATP final.

From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026

Firstly, fourth seed Djokovic had a narrow escape when he recklessly cracked a ball close to a ball girl during his third-round win over Botic van de Zandschulp.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

Hers begins with her family’s narrow escape from an occupied village west of Kyiv in the early days of the war.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

The duo only made a narrow escape, running from an Alpha in a heart-pounding chase sequence that boasts breathtaking experimental camerawork from Boyle.

From Salon • Jun. 20, 2025

Things had scarcely had time to quiet down after April’s narrow escape when Christmas vacation arrived.

From "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Related Words

• close call
• shocker