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

: close call

Synonyms of near miss

• narrow escape
• close call
• hairbreadth escape
• close shave
• near escape

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

The near miss raised questions about why the commercial flight was cleared for takeoff while Marine One was preparing to depart, a period when airline traffic is typically halted around presidential helicopter operations. — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

East Carolina University gambling researcher Michelle Malkin pointed to anticipation, near misses and rapid repetition. — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026

At least two ships were hit in the Strait of Hormuz in the past week, while several others reported near misses or warnings from entities claiming to represent Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, according to maritime data company Lloyd’s List Intelligence. — ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026

Lawler has also become outspoken about sharing Littleton's experience, saying utilities can learn from one another when attacks or near misses occur. — Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 4 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for near miss

• abyss
• amiss
• chlamys
• dismiss
• premiss
• remiss
• bis
• bliss
• criss
• dis
• diss
• hiss