From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishnarrow victory/defeat/majority/margin etcnarrow victory/defeat/majority/margin etcJUST/ALMOST NOTa victory etc that is only just achieved or happens by only a small amount → slim The president won a narrow victory in the election. He persuaded a narrow majority of the party to support the government. Scotland eventually won the match by the narrow margin of 5–4.RegisterThe expression a narrow victory/defeat is used mostly in writing. In everyday British English, people often say that someone only just won/lost or, in everyday American English, barely won/lost. → narrow
Examples from the Corpus
narrow victory/defeat/majority/margin etc• John F.. Kennedy that helped propel the handsome young Massachusetts Democrat to a narrow victory.• On election night, however, the team squeaked out a narrow victory.• Surprise! the seventh firm won the tender by a narrow margin.• Adjust the starting point so that you avoid a very narrow margin at the perimeter.• While both developer subsidies passed, the narrow margin clearly indicates the voters of this valley are beginning to wise up.• Their relatively late arrival in the quarter coupled with their costs and the narrow margins on the surprise Model 20 impacted earnings.• Crowds gathered in central Lima last Sunday night to cheer his narrow victory over former president Alan Garcia.• Was Buzz Calkins' narrow victory over Tony Stewart enough to keep them interested? 