too close to call

Idioms  

1. Resulting in too narrow a margin to make a decision, as in That ball didn't miss by much but it was too close to call, or The election was too close to call, so they decided to have a runoff. This expression comes from sports, where call has signified “a judgment” since the mid-1600s. In the 1960s it began to be applied to pre-election polls and then to the outcome of elections.

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Example Sentences

With "Sinners" and "One Battle After Another" neck-and-neck for best picture and several acting races far too close to call, this Sunday's Oscars gala is shaping up to be the most unpredictable in years.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

As of Wednesday, the primary was still too close to call and headed for a recount.

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2026

Meantime, the results of Sunday’s presidential election in Honduras remain too close to call.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 2, 2025

Won by Coalition MP Terry Young on a margin of 3% last election, it is now too close to call.

From BBC • May 7, 2025

Approaching election day, Thompson and Sweitzer were running even, the race too close to call.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield