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
Now under the leadership of Pierre Sage, Lens are hoping to finally get over the line, after those painful near misses.
—
Tom Burrows, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Still, despite these questions, unlike the previous three seasons of near misses, where Arsenal finished second to a more relentless rival, there is no real candidate who looks capable of unseating them this time.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
After two near misses on the Gophers empty net, Minnesota had a flutter in front of the Spartans goal in the final 10 seconds that went for naught before the final horn.
—Staff Report, Twin Cities, 24 Jan. 2026
Air travelers have already encountered near misses, such as when a test flight of SpaceX’s Starship vehicle last year scattered debris across a swath of the Caribbean and forced aircraft to take evasive action.
—Lee Billings, Scientific American, 21 Jan. 2026
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
Tom Burrows, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Still, despite these questions, unlike the previous three seasons of near misses, where Arsenal finished second to a more relentless rival, there is no real candidate who looks capable of unseating them this time.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
After two near misses on the Gophers empty net, Minnesota had a flutter in front of the Spartans goal in the final 10 seconds that went for naught before the final horn.
—Staff Report, Twin Cities, 24 Jan. 2026
Air travelers have already encountered near misses, such as when a test flight of SpaceX’s Starship vehicle last year scattered debris across a swath of the Caribbean and forced aircraft to take evasive action.
—Lee Billings, Scientific American, 21 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for near misses
Noun
-
Those close calls spurred hard conversations after the ’05 disappointment.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Similar communication challenges led to some close calls between military aircraft and commercial flights in the Caribbean.—
Brian Dakss,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 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 15 Feb. 2026.
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