close shave
Americannoun
noun
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
My mother also had a close shave with death.
From BBC • Sep. 16, 2023
Eco-conscious consumers are looking for plastic-free razors that deliver a safe, close shave.
From Washington Post • Jan. 3, 2023
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
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.
