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

"It really was a narrow escape," says Gláucia.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 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

United’s narrow escape sets up a second straight Manchester derby in the final against defending champion Manchester City, which beat Chelsea on Saturday.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 21, 2024

But there was no way the sixty-five-pound Fred could squeeze through the puppy’s narrow escape tunnel.

From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• close call
• shocker