near miss

American  

Or near-miss

noun

1. a strike by a missile that is not a direct hit but is close enough to damage the target.

2. an instance of two vehicles, aircraft, etc., narrowly avoiding a collision.

3. something that falls narrowly short of its object or of success.

   an interesting movie, but a near miss.

---

near miss British  

noun

1. a bomb, shell, etc, that does not exactly hit the target

2. any attempt or shot that just fails to be successful

3. an incident in which two vehicles narrowly avoid collision

---

near miss Idioms  

1. A narrowly avoided mishap; also, an attempt that falls just short of success. For example, It was a near miss for that truck, since the driver had crossed the center strip into on-coming traffic, or Her horse kept having a near miss in every race, so she decided to sell it. This expression originated during World War II, when it signified a bomb exploding in the water near enough to a ship to damage its hull. Soon afterward it acquired its present meanings.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

near miss

Instead she will have to come to terms with another near miss at a Grand Slam.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

He said Monday’s near miss would not stop him from getting back in the air.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The two aircraft were within less than half a mile of each other horizontally at the time of the near miss and about 500 feet apart vertically, according to data from Flightradar24.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026

There was one very near miss between Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls and Franco Colapinto's Alpine, and Norris and Russell both expressed concerns about them in racing on track, too.

From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2026

Him and Dad had already exchanged names and decided it had been a near miss with no real harm done on either side.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck