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 is also the possibility the storm is a near miss to our south - keeping our forecast chilly and not as wet.
—
Steven Sosna, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Now under the leadership of Pierre Sage, Lens are hoping to finally get over the line, after those painful near misses.
—Tom Burrows, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth survived a near miss last year after a group of high-level national-security officials erroneously added The Atlantic’s editor in chief to a private Signal group chat, where Hegseth shared military attack plans.
—Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
Still, despite these questions, unlike the previous three seasons of near misses, where Arsenal finished second to a more relentless rival, there is no real candidate who looks capable of unseating them this time.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for near miss
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Steven Sosna, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Now under the leadership of Pierre Sage, Lens are hoping to finally get over the line, after those painful near misses.
—Tom Burrows, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth survived a near miss last year after a group of high-level national-security officials erroneously added The Atlantic’s editor in chief to a private Signal group chat, where Hegseth shared military attack plans.
—Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
Still, despite these questions, unlike the previous three seasons of near misses, where Arsenal finished second to a more relentless rival, there is no real candidate who looks capable of unseating them this time.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 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 16 Feb. 2026.
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