as in narrow escape
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 miss
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
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
See All Example Sentences for near miss
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
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
See All Example Sentences for near miss
Recent Examples of Synonyms for near miss
Noun
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Pasquantino wouldn’t have another close call.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
12 Mar. 2026
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The Hornets also had a close call in a 12-inning 4-3 win against Lake Minneola (8-3).—
Buddy Collings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Villa rely on its revenue to push their limits, so going another year on the outside will mean player sales, budget cuts and very, very close shaves with financial sanctions.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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Mid-Atlantic and Northeast: close shave between a blizzard and a blustery day Farther north into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, forecast confidence drops sharply, with the storm’s eventual track playing a critical role in determining impacts.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Near miss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/near%20miss. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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