near miss
near miss
[noun
/ˌnɪə ˈmɪs/
1 a situation when a serious accident or a disaster very nearly happens
The two planes were involved in a near miss.
The terrifying near miss took place at 4 500 feet.
He’s a terrible driver. We had one near miss after another!
2 a bomb or a shot that nearly hits what it is aimed at but misses it
He scored two goals and had another two near misses.
(figurative) He should have won the match—it was a near miss.