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View synonyms for near miss
near miss
or near-miss
noun
- a strike by a missile that is not a direct hit but is close enough to damage the target.
- an instance of two vehicles, aircraft, etc., narrowly avoiding a collision.
- something that falls narrowly short of its object or of success:
an interesting movie, but a near miss.
near miss
noun
- a bomb, shell, etc, that does not exactly hit the target
- any attempt or shot that just fails to be successful
- an incident in which two vehicles narrowly avoid collision
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Idioms and Phrases
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.Advertisement
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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