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
Those near misses helped extend Ole Miss drives at times.
—
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
The game was full of big plays, near misses and intense action, and Star photographers were on the sideline to capture it all.
—Kansas City Star, 23 Nov. 2025
After nine long weeks of near misses, the curse has finally been broken by wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin, with social media personality Dylan Efron, influencer Alix Earle, and Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt close behind.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Nov. 2025
After four decades of near misses, he’s learned that killing an animal isn’t the best part of a hunt.
—Devon O’Neil, Outside, 15 Oct. 2025
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
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
The game was full of big plays, near misses and intense action, and Star photographers were on the sideline to capture it all.
—Kansas City Star, 23 Nov. 2025
After nine long weeks of near misses, the curse has finally been broken by wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin, with social media personality Dylan Efron, influencer Alix Earle, and Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt close behind.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Nov. 2025
After four decades of near misses, he’s learned that killing an animal isn’t the best part of a hunt.
—Devon O’Neil, Outside, 15 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for near misses
Noun
-
While there have been close calls in the past—in 2003, then-NBA commissioner David Stern threatened to cancel the W’s season during a labor dispute—the W hasn’t lost games to a work stoppage in its 30-year history.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Ewers had a couple of close calls on passes.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Jan. 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 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share