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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for near misses
close calls
Noun
-
Those mistakes had decided the last two games in the series — both close calls that KU lost.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
25 Oct. 2025
-
While on his jobs, Colter often has close calls with law enforcement, leading Reenie, a lawyer, to swoop in and save the day.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Near misses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/near%20misses. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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