as in narrow escapes
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 misses
After so many near misses in major competitions, there was a change in emphasis.
—
Rob Tanner, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
The threat to planes from drones continues to increase along with the number of near misses around airports.
—Josh Funk, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2026
Helicopter footage captured by News 4 showed near misses and high speed as the driver sped through intersections without so much as hitting the brakes.
—Jacob Beltran, San Antonio Express-News, 13 Feb. 2026
The threat to planes from drones continues to increase along with the number of near misses around airports.
—ABC News, 13 Feb. 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
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
Rob Tanner, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
The threat to planes from drones continues to increase along with the number of near misses around airports.
—Josh Funk, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2026
Helicopter footage captured by News 4 showed near misses and high speed as the driver sped through intersections without so much as hitting the brakes.
—Jacob Beltran, San Antonio Express-News, 13 Feb. 2026
The threat to planes from drones continues to increase along with the number of near misses around airports.
—ABC News, 13 Feb. 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for near misses
Noun
-
Those close calls spurred hard conversations after the ’05 disappointment.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Similar communication challenges led to some close calls between military aircraft and commercial flights in the Caribbean.—
Brian Dakss,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Torreys are accustomed to, pun intended, close shaves.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Near misses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/near%20misses. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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