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Synonyms

close shave

American  
[klohs] / kloʊs /

noun

Informal.

  1. a narrow escape from serious danger or trouble.

    We weren't hit when the truck swerved at us, but it was a close shave.
close shave British  
/ kləʊs /

noun

  1. informal a narrow escape

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
close shave Idioms  

  1. see close call.

Etymology

Origin of close shave

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As fewer and fewer men opt for a close shave, the 25-year-old Kabul barber said he was already losing business.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

Williams driver Alex Albon had a very close shave when the car skipped sideways towards the barrier braking for the harbour-front chicane but just managed to save the car.

From BBC • May 27, 2022

In St. Louis, setting up the stage at the bottom of an amphitheater-like glen avoided that problem, but squeezing it into that spot was a worrisomely close shave.

From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2021

“When the stubble grows back after a really close shave it can be quite sharp and prickly,” he wrote in an email.

From Slate • May 10, 2021

The waiters have those soda jerk caps set at an angle, and the right haircuts, a close shave up the back of the neck.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.