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
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
National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels has repeatedly raised concerns about the industry’s staffing shortage amid reports of crashes and near misses at airports, including the deadly midair collision near Reagan Washington National Airport in late January.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 1 May 2025
But McIlroy has had a bunch of near misses at Augusta and a tumultuous relationship with the place, including total collapse in 2011 and seven top-10 finishes in the past decade.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for near miss
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels has repeatedly raised concerns about the industry’s staffing shortage amid reports of crashes and near misses at airports, including the deadly midair collision near Reagan Washington National Airport in late January.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 1 May 2025
But McIlroy has had a bunch of near misses at Augusta and a tumultuous relationship with the place, including total collapse in 2011 and seven top-10 finishes in the past decade.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 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 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share