near miss

noun

variants or less commonly near-miss
1
a
: a miss (as with a bomb) close enough to cause damage
b
: something that falls just short of success
2
a
: a near collision (as between aircraft)

Examples of near miss in a Sentence

After years of near misses, the team has finally won a championship. a near miss with death prompted him to give up skydiving
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Sounds like a long way, but in space, that’s a near miss. James Wray, Discover Magazine, 18 Oct. 2024 Back then, there were near misses and clear red flags about the ground’s suitability. Jacob Whitehead, The Athletic, 8 Aug. 2024 Longer term residents, after having experienced numerous false alarms and near misses like Irma in 2017, may be similarly unprepared for a direct hit. Terry Spencer, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Oct. 2024 Her schedule got jump-started by that near miss at the 2023 Pan Am Games. David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for near miss 

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of near miss was in 1940

Dictionary Entries Near near miss

Cite this Entry

“Near miss.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/near%20miss. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

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