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

His choice of Bush as his running mate was a near thing.

From Seattle Times

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

From Washington Post

Fail they do not, but in the hands of "Operation Finale" it is a near thing.

From Los Angeles Times

“A lot of cohousing is out in rural areas, but we wanted to be in the city to be near things,” said Janet Boys, 68, of Denver.

From New York Times

Even though the result of that endeavor is known, seeing what a near thing it was never fails to engage.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cliffhanger