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
Sučić helped Croatia take a 1-0 lead into halftime in a game where a couple of near misses prevented it from building a more comfortable lead.
—
CBS News,
27 June 2026
Japan finally breaks through After nearly 60 minutes of near misses, Japan finally scored the match’s first goal in the 57th minute.
—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 June 2026
After near misses of Wembanyama and Flagg, the ping pong balls finally fell their way.
—
Mark Selig,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
My near misses had been piling up for years, collecting interest.
—
Literary Hub,
22 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for near miss
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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CBS News,
27 June 2026
Japan finally breaks through After nearly 60 minutes of near misses, Japan finally scored the match’s first goal in the 57th minute.
—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 June 2026
After near misses of Wembanyama and Flagg, the ping pong balls finally fell their way.
—
Mark Selig,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
My near misses had been piling up for years, collecting interest.
—
Literary Hub,
22 June 2026
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 30 Jun. 2026.
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