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
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Recent Examples of near misses
If a couple of near misses hadn’t been slightly off target, Roldan could have added a pair of goals for good measure.
—
Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 15 Oct. 2025
There were some near misses across the board.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 29 Sep. 2025
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
Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 15 Oct. 2025
There were some near misses across the board.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 29 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for near misses
close calls
Noun
-
Controllers at the airport have been under scrutiny since the airport was the site of a January 29 deadly collision between a military helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet that killed 67 people and a subsequent series of close calls.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
-
The Jets have had a few close calls this season, losing by just two points against both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Near misses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/near%20misses. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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