as in narrow escapes
a barely successful escape from something undesirable
a near miss with death prompted him to give up skydiving
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of near misses
My near misses had been piling up for years, collecting interest.
—
Literary Hub,
22 June 2026
Through near misses, heartbreak and a hope that every year could be our year, this city never stopped believing in the Knicks.
—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
His superlative shot-stopping ability, commanding distribution and defining game-winning moments this season contributed substantially to the Gunners ending their 22-year wait for a Premier League trophy – this after so many recent near misses.
—
Aleks Klosok,
CNN Money,
29 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
Anyone with even a passing interest in air-traffic safety knows that near misses have grown more frequent.
—
Juliette Kayyem,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
The threat to planes from drones continues to increase along with the number of near misses around airports.
—
Josh Funk,
Los Angeles Times,
27 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
Literary Hub,
22 June 2026
Through near misses, heartbreak and a hope that every year could be our year, this city never stopped believing in the Knicks.
—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
His superlative shot-stopping ability, commanding distribution and defining game-winning moments this season contributed substantially to the Gunners ending their 22-year wait for a Premier League trophy – this after so many recent near misses.
—
Aleks Klosok,
CNN Money,
29 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
Anyone with even a passing interest in air-traffic safety knows that near misses have grown more frequent.
—
Juliette Kayyem,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
The threat to planes from drones continues to increase along with the number of near misses around airports.
—
Josh Funk,
Los Angeles Times,
27 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for near misses
Noun
-
There have been several close calls involving aircraft in recent months.
-
In September 2026, new Surface Movement Radars will be implemented, a technology that helps prevent close calls on airport surfaces.
Noun
-
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.
-
The Torreys are accustomed to, pun intended, close shaves.
Cite this Entry
“Near misses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/near%20misses. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
