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.

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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

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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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

near miss

Consider this near miss one of James’ greatest postseason achievements.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 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

Ellis Pears, 19, was driving down a country road in November 2024 when his life "completely changed" after a near miss with a car caused his own vehicle to flip, leaving him concussed.

From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026

After a 2013 near miss between a helicopter and an airplane in the same location as the January crash, an internal working group recommended that the FAA change a specific helicopter route.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026

Phil Resch did not intend to take chances, not after the near miss with Inspector Garland.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick