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
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
More than two decades of near misses have piled substantial pressure on people within the club and the fans supporting from the outside.
—Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 16 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
Since then, Arsenal has flirted with a series of agonizing near misses, most notably pipped at the post by Manchester City in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 Premier League campaigns.
—Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 26 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
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
More than two decades of near misses have piled substantial pressure on people within the club and the fans supporting from the outside.
—Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 16 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
Since then, Arsenal has flirted with a series of agonizing near misses, most notably pipped at the post by Manchester City in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 Premier League campaigns.
—Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 26 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for near misses
Noun
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This incident comes as the Department of Transportation has changed rules for helicopters flying around airports after recent close calls, including one at Burbank Airport.—
Sarah Ploss,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
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The two talked about some of Billy's close calls with death, his journey with music, his family and his identity.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
26 Mar. 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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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 3 Apr. 2026.
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