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

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

There was a narrow escape last season, with Chelsea losing at Newcastle United in the fourth round.

From BBC • Oct. 31, 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

Shaken to his core, Leeman sat down on the tracks, overwhelmed by his narrow escape and by the realization that he had just saved an entire train and scores of passengers.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

• close call
• shocker