near miss

Definition of Near Miss in English :

1. near miss

an accidental collision that is narrowly avoided

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Near Miss

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

1.

a shell, aerial bomb, etc. that does not score a direct hit on the target but comes close enough to inflict some damage

2.

any result that is nearly but not quite successful

3.

a narrowly averted collision; a near escape

n.

1. A narrowly avoided collision involving two or more aircraft, ships, boats, or motor vehicles.

2. A missile strike that is extremely close to but not directly on target.

3. Something that fails by a very narrow margin: Her campaign for the Senate was a near miss.