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
About a third describe erratic or reckless driving, while another third document near misses with pedestrians.
—
Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 7 July 2024
The near miss, coupled with my injury, forced me to reckon with risk.
—Sharael Kolberg, Travel + Leisure, 4 July 2024
Event comes on heels of Western & Southern Open near miss
For Morrison, such an event has a special place in the pantheon of events that his organization has helped compel to the city — a list that includes the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, the Ally Tipoff, the Jumpman Invitational and more.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 26 June 2024
The Kings have also had a few near misses over the past three years.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for near miss 
Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 7 July 2024
The near miss, coupled with my injury, forced me to reckon with risk.
—Sharael Kolberg, Travel + Leisure, 4 July 2024
Event comes on heels of Western & Southern Open near miss
For Morrison, such an event has a special place in the pantheon of events that his organization has helped compel to the city — a list that includes the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, the Ally Tipoff, the Jumpman Invitational and more.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 26 June 2024
The Kings have also had a few near misses over the past three years.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for near miss
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'near miss.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to near miss
Dictionary Entries Near near miss
Cite this Entry
“Near miss.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/near%20miss. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share