near thing

British  

noun

1. informal an event or action whose outcome is nearly a failure, success, disaster, etc

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near thing Idioms  

1. Something just barely effected, as in That election was a near thing—he won by a handful of votes. [Mid-1700s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

near thing

The Air National Guard used the site into the 1930s, and it was a very near thing: Griffith Park, not LAX, was almost the site of the city’s first airport.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2023

The bowler is interested in the near thing, but the better chance of the wicket comes at the non-striker’s end.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 19, 2021

Even though war had been averted, it was a near thing.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 30, 2018

It was a near thing, but we kept our success streak alive.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 6, 2012

By Jove, it had been a near thing, though....

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

Related Words

• cliffhanger