near miss

plural near misses · alternative near-miss

1. A miss which was nearly a hit or collision.

   The first wave, 24 dive bombers, fell on her through broken clouds; she took two hits and an uncomfortably close near miss.

   2000, Samuel B. Griffith, The Battle for Guadalcanal, University of Illinois Press, →ISBN, page 177

   3 more examples

   […] two aircraft, one flying level across the field, another climbing after a missed approach, had an extremely near miss, in my estimation, less than 50 feet, before the lower pilot saw the higher aircraft and broke violently to the right in the darkness.

   1978, John F. Hilgenberg, quotee, edited by Arthur J. C. Lavalle, Last flight from Saigon, USAF, page 101

   […] it concludes that when the number of 'near misses' are considered, "we have been extremely fortunate that we have not been discussing much higher fatality figures, given that a significant number of track workers have 'got clear' within a few seconds or less of passing trains".

   2019 October 23, Rail, page 19

   Japan has voiced “serious concern” over a near miss involving one of its military planes and a Chinese fighter jet in the Pacific, where recent manoeuvres by Chinese aircraft carrier groups have raised tensions across the region.

   2025 June 12, Justin McCurry, Helen Davidson, “Chinese fighter jet in near miss with Japan military plane as Pacific tensions rise”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

   Synonyms: airmiss

2. broadlyA scenario which ends safely but might well have ended in disaster.

   In recent years there have been two fatalities and one near miss due to the inappropriate use of boom trucks.

   2009 April 27, Mine Safety, Health Administration, Failure to Operate Boom Trucks Safely Using Proper Procedures

   1 more example

   As in New York City’s Times Square seven months ago, hundreds of innocent bystanders might have been killed. Fortunately, the would-be terrorist was the only fatality.

   2010 December 14, “Sweden's Near Miss”, in New York Times, A, page 34

   Synonyms: close shave, narrow escape

3. broadlyAn attempt which fails narrowly; a performance which falls just short of a certain benchmark.

   All those places we never met / Near misses / Your lipstick on my coffee cup

   2025, “Tina”, in Jarvis Cocker (lyrics), More, performed by Pulp

   3 more examples

   Dean Chance […] wasn't crying over his near miss of a no-hitter Monday night.

   1962 September 11, “No Chance Tears After Near Miss”, in Lawrence Journal-World, Lawrence, Kansas, page 16

   Italy know they cannot wallow in the disappointment of last week's agonising near miss against Ireland.

   2011 February 11, Robert Kitson, “Six Nations 2011: Luke McLean happy to swap green and gold for blue”, in The Guardian, London

   After several near misses, Van Persie finally reached three figures by turning in Walcott's cross before Jaaskelainen saved from Walcott when one-on-one.

   2011 September 24, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 3 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC Sport