lucky escape

Meanings

1. 1phrasecountable

   An occasion when someone avoids danger, trouble, or a bad situation by chance.

   Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a lucky escape' or 'lucky escapes'. Often used with 'from' or 'with'.

   Patterns

   • a lucky escape from something
   • have a lucky escape
   • what a lucky escape

   The car missed him by inches; it was a lucky escape.

   She had a lucky escape when the tree fell just behind her.

   They had a lucky escape from the fire because a neighbor woke them.

2. 2phrasecountable

   A situation in which someone narrowly avoids something unpleasant, such as punishment or embarrassment.

   Grammar: Same countable use, often in the pattern 'a lucky escape from something'.

   Patterns

   • a lucky escape from something
   • have a lucky escape from something

   He got a lucky escape from being fired when the boss changed his mind.

   The team had a lucky escape from relegation on the last day.

Common combinations

have a lucky escape

We had a lucky escape when the bus braked just in time.

a lucky escape from

It was a lucky escape from a serious accident.

what a lucky escape

What a lucky escape — the ceiling could have fallen on us.

a very lucky escape

The driver had a very lucky escape.

Synonyms and how they differ

near miss

A near miss is a situation where something bad almost happened but did not; it often suggests a close call, similar to a lucky escape.

close call

A close call is an informal way to say a lucky escape, especially when the danger was very close.

narrow escape

A narrow escape is very similar, but it emphasizes how small the difference was between safety and danger.

Commonly confused: lucky escape or lucky break?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “lucky escape”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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