near miss

noun

variants or less commonly near-miss

Synonyms of near miss next

1

a

: a miss (as with a bomb) close enough to cause damage

b

: something that falls just short of success

2

a

: a near collision (as between aircraft)

b

: close call

Examples of near miss in a Sentence

After years of near misses, the team has finally won a championship. a near miss with death prompted him to give up skydiving

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of near miss was in 1940

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Near miss.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/near%20miss. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

resurrection

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples

Popular in Wordplay

near miss

noun

Synonyms

Examples of near miss in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

The Weird Logic of 'Near Miss'

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on near miss