near miss
noun
variants
or less commonly near-miss
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
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
Recent Examples on the Web
There exist dozens of different datasets, from speed data to traffic patterns to data on near misses.
—
Bryan Mistele, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
With his own ageing parents having had near misses with the long-term healthcare system, that sector became the ‘something different’.
—Alison Coleman, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
After 119 years in existence and a couple of heartbreaking near misses, Crystal Palace were finally major-trophy winners.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Since the start of Trump’s second term, there has been a mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people near Reagan Washington National Airport, as well as a series of near misses and runway incursions.
—Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for near miss
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Bryan Mistele, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
With his own ageing parents having had near misses with the long-term healthcare system, that sector became the ‘something different’.
—Alison Coleman, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
After 119 years in existence and a couple of heartbreaking near misses, Crystal Palace were finally major-trophy winners.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Since the start of Trump’s second term, there has been a mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people near Reagan Washington National Airport, as well as a series of near misses and runway incursions.
—Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for near miss
Cite this Entry
“Near miss.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/near%20miss. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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