near miss

== English == === Alternative forms === near-miss === Noun === near miss (plural near misses) A miss which was nearly a hit or collision. Synonym: (aviation) airmiss (by extension) A scenario which ends safely but might well have ended in disaster. Synonyms: close shave, narrow escape (by extension) An attempt which fails narrowly; a performance which falls just short of a certain benchmark. ==== Usage notes ==== It is sometimes claimed that concept of a near miss would be better expressed as near hit. However, near is used in the phrase with the sense “close” (compare “near future”, “near neighbour”) rather than the sense ”approximate” (compare “near certainty”, “near standstill”). ==== Antonyms ==== direct hit fiasco, rout ==== Translations ==== === References === E. Ward Gilman (editor) Merriam–Webster's Dictionary of English Usage p.655, Merriam–Webster, 1994 →ISBN. === Anagrams === Reismans, maresins, arsenism, sirnames, Erismans, seminars