too close to call

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.

Example Sentences

The result of Wednesday's election is too close to call, with Jetten vying with anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders for the most seats in parliament.

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Although the final result is too close to call, Wilders conceded victory and Jetten told supporters "millions of Dutch people have turned a page", choosing positive politics.

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According to a poll on Portuguese TV on Wednesday, the current president sits second out of six candidates before October's elections - though some suggest it is too close to call between the top three names.

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The polls have been too close to call.

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Some seats are still too close to call.

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