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
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
After so many near misses in major competitions, there was a change in emphasis.
—Rob Tanner, New York Times, 17 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
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
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
After so many near misses in major competitions, there was a change in emphasis.
—Rob Tanner, New York Times, 17 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for near misses
Noun
-
The National Transportation Safety Board said the FAA and the Army did not share safety data with each other about the alarming number of close calls around Reagan National Airport and failed to address the risks.—
Mosheh Gains,
NBC news,
27 Feb. 2026
-
In 2025, a pair of early close calls got him into the rest of the year’s signature events.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
23 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 14 Mar. 2026.
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