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
The board's investigation found that near misses between helicopters and planes at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) occurred at least monthly between 2011 and 2024.
—
Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
The National Transportation Safety Board found a pattern of near misses between commercial jets and helicopters at Reagan National Airport, following January’s midair collision that killed 67 people.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Still, there’s some uneasiness over whether the industry and federal regulators were adequately responding to warning signs, like reports of near misses at airports.
—Barbara Peterson, AFAR Media, 20 Feb. 2025
Ticket mistakes or near misses do occasionally snare a big winner.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for near miss
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Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
The National Transportation Safety Board found a pattern of near misses between commercial jets and helicopters at Reagan National Airport, following January’s midair collision that killed 67 people.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Still, there’s some uneasiness over whether the industry and federal regulators were adequately responding to warning signs, like reports of near misses at airports.
—Barbara Peterson, AFAR Media, 20 Feb. 2025
Ticket mistakes or near misses do occasionally snare a big winner.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for near miss
Articles Related to near miss
Cite this Entry
“Near miss.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/near%20miss. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.
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