as in narrow escape
a barely successful escape from something undesirable
a near miss with death prompted him to give up skydiving
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Recent Examples of near miss
After two near misses on the Gophers empty net, Minnesota had a flutter in front of the Spartans goal in the final 10 seconds that went for naught before the final horn.
—
Staff Report, Twin Cities, 24 Jan. 2026
Air travelers have already encountered near misses, such as when a test flight of SpaceX’s Starship vehicle last year scattered debris across a swath of the Caribbean and forced aircraft to take evasive action.
—Lee Billings, Scientific American, 21 Jan. 2026
Those near misses helped extend Ole Miss drives at times.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
The Toronto Blue Jays' near miss in Game 7 of the World Series seems to be fueling their desire to dominate the Major League Baseball offseason.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for near miss
Staff Report, Twin Cities, 24 Jan. 2026
Air travelers have already encountered near misses, such as when a test flight of SpaceX’s Starship vehicle last year scattered debris across a swath of the Caribbean and forced aircraft to take evasive action.
—Lee Billings, Scientific American, 21 Jan. 2026
Those near misses helped extend Ole Miss drives at times.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
The Toronto Blue Jays' near miss in Game 7 of the World Series seems to be fueling their desire to dominate the Major League Baseball offseason.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for near miss
Recent Examples of Synonyms for near miss
Noun
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While there have been no avalanche deaths recorded in Colorado so far this season, there have been serious accidents and several close calls.—
The Vail Daily,
Denver Post,
5 Feb. 2026
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Their hope now is that this close call can lead to change and awareness of the crossings.—
Jessica Riley,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Mid-Atlantic and Northeast: close shave between a blizzard and a blustery day Farther north into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, forecast confidence drops sharply, with the storm’s eventual track playing a critical role in determining impacts.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
29 Jan. 2026
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Last week, for example, a satellite recently deployed by a Chinese rocket gave a Starlink spacecraft a close shave, apparently without providing the proper warning ahead of time.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
18 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Near miss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/near%20miss. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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