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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of near misses
In its preliminary report, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed the airport had experienced over 15,000 near misses between October 2021 and December 2024 involving helicopters and commercial airplanes.
—
Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent near misses at airports across the country and a January mid-air collision have left travelers and officials anxious about safety practices while pilots are in the air and on the ground.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 19 Sep. 2025
Although hours before showtime the Nashville skies looked dark and ominous, rap superstar Nelly was able to finally take the stage in Middle Tennessee after two near misses at Bonnaroo.
—Melonee Hurt, Nashville Tennessean, 17 Sep. 2025
How Mondo Duplantis Set Up His World Title After two near misses on his final attempt, Duplantis wowed the crowd on his final one.
—Cory Mull, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
After years of near misses and heartbreak, the Englishman finally broke through with a dramatic win at the Tour Championship, pocketing a $10 million prize.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
In the decade that followed, cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and near misses continued.
—Guy Fedorkow, IEEE Spectrum, 2 June 2025
Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent near misses at airports across the country and a January mid-air collision have left travelers and officials anxious about safety practices while pilots are in the air and on the ground.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 19 Sep. 2025
Although hours before showtime the Nashville skies looked dark and ominous, rap superstar Nelly was able to finally take the stage in Middle Tennessee after two near misses at Bonnaroo.
—Melonee Hurt, Nashville Tennessean, 17 Sep. 2025
How Mondo Duplantis Set Up His World Title After two near misses on his final attempt, Duplantis wowed the crowd on his final one.
—Cory Mull, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
After years of near misses and heartbreak, the Englishman finally broke through with a dramatic win at the Tour Championship, pocketing a $10 million prize.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
In the decade that followed, cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and near misses continued.
—Guy Fedorkow, IEEE Spectrum, 2 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for near misses
close calls
Noun
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Practice confident body language and presence; Fortune has highlighted the power of a genuine smile and positive nonverbal signals to differentiate in close calls.—
Ashley Lutz,
Fortune,
22 Sep. 2025
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But when a beloved bookstore — especially one that’s had some close calls over the years — turns 70, nothing short of a block party will do.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Near misses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/near%20misses. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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