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

See Examples For:

too close to call

Iceland's closely fought referendum on whether to resume membership talks with the European Union is going down to wire, with the result too close to call.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

The vote proved too close to call on Tuesday evening, but by Wednesday morning, El-Sayed had claimed the win, and Stevens had phoned him to concede.

From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026

Polling ahead of Maine’s June 9 primary indicated that the race is too close to call.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026

One incumbent survived and another race remained too close to call.

From Barron's ● May 6, 2026

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

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