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
Consider this near miss one of James’ greatest postseason achievements.
—
Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
The misses were just near misses.
—Katie Woo, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
This, Wright imagined, was one way Proxi might display its analysis of players’ minds, an aerial map of loves, phobias, triumphs, losses, pets, and near misses plus all the associations connecting them.
—Eric Boodman, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
But many complex systems on the brink of failure leave clues, and near misses are flashing red lights.
—Juliette Kayyem, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for near miss
Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
The misses were just near misses.
—Katie Woo, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
This, Wright imagined, was one way Proxi might display its analysis of players’ minds, an aerial map of loves, phobias, triumphs, losses, pets, and near misses plus all the associations connecting them.
—Eric Boodman, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
But many complex systems on the brink of failure leave clues, and near misses are flashing red lights.
—Juliette Kayyem, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for near miss
Recent Examples of Synonyms for near miss
Noun
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Commercial aircraft and drones began having close calls around 2013, when drones first started to become popular.—
Katie Nadworny,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2026
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While the Knicks beat the Spurs 105-95 during Game 1, Game 2 was a close call, with the Knicks winning by a slim one-point margin.—
Matt Minton,
Variety,
11 June 2026
Noun
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Villa rely on its revenue to push their limits, so going another year on the outside will mean player sales, budget cuts and very, very close shaves with financial sanctions.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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Speaking of a close shave, Cincinnati couldn't decide a winner between No 5.—
Rasputin Todd,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Near miss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/near%20miss. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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