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)
b
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
In 2024, Biden signed into law legislation aimed at boosting the number of air traffic controllers amid concerns about worker shortages following several near miss incidents.
—
Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
But there's been a lot of near misses over the last several years.
—Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 30 Jan. 2025
The incident has renewed focus on the recent history of crashes and near misses in the U.S., which in 2023 saw the highest number of serious runway incidents in almost a decade, sparking concerns about staffing and burnout at aviation agencies.
—Simmone Shah, TIME, 30 Jan. 2025
But given the complexity and difficulty of the political and economic trade-offs, expect lots of ups and downs, near misses, and jockeying for position in the meantime.
—Neil Irwin, Axios, 29 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for near miss 
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Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
But there's been a lot of near misses over the last several years.
—Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 30 Jan. 2025
The incident has renewed focus on the recent history of crashes and near misses in the U.S., which in 2023 saw the highest number of serious runway incidents in almost a decade, sparking concerns about staffing and burnout at aviation agencies.
—Simmone Shah, TIME, 30 Jan. 2025
But given the complexity and difficulty of the political and economic trade-offs, expect lots of ups and downs, near misses, and jockeying for position in the meantime.
—Neil Irwin, Axios, 29 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for near miss
Articles Related to near miss
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 10 Feb. 2025.
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