- Home
- Idioms
- near miss
near miss
near miss
A situation in which danger or problems are barely avoided. Used literally, it usually refers to a potential collision of some kind. It was a near miss when that deer jumped out in front of my car! Luckily, I swerved in time and managed to avoid hitting it. It was a near miss for the senator, whose charges were dropped due to a technicality.
near miss
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.
Common Names:
Name | Gender | Pronounced | Usage |
Gussie | | GUS-ee | English |
Alison | | AL-i-sən (English), a-lee-SAWN (French) | English, French |
Age (2) | | - | Estonian |
Hermes | | HUR-meez (English) | Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek |
Annamaria | | - | Italian |
Wilhelmine | | vil-hel-MEE-nə | German |