I barely missed

USAGE SUMMARY

"I barely missed" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when you almost didn't manage to do something, but almost did. For example, "I barely missed the train, but managed to catch the next one."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

I barely missed her this past week.

The Guardian

After a jarring prologue – Jacques's post-surgery blog post, reprinted in its entirety – we meet her as a teen and a university student, when she acquires tastes that stay with her: indie music, difficult novels and football – she supports Norwich City; years later, after transition, "I barely missed a home game all season".

The Guardian - Books

I barely missed a beat.

TechCrunch

I barely missed getting hit by a car, but got to the other side, where I stopped and looked at him.

Vice

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

53 human-written examples

Then we steamed back to the safety, the calm, the virtual Stateside coziness of the island of Saipan, where we began to prepare for the invasion of Japan, and where I had ample time to reflect on both what I'd barely missed on Okinawa and Iwo Jima and what I was likely to encounter when I helped storm the fortress beaches of the mainland.

The New Yorker

I had barely missed them.

The Guardian - Books

I've barely missed being flattened by divers who decided to practice on top of me.

The New York Times

Formal press conferences in dignified surroundings are de rigueur for prizefighters nowadays; I had barely missed Liston's final one, at the Thunderbird, where he was making his headquarters.

The New Yorker

I am barely missing them, though.

The Guardian - Sport

However, the positive association between increased serum IGF-I and decreased eGFR only barely missed statistical significance in women.

BMC Nephrology

I skipped a breath but barely missed a brushstroke.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "I barely missed" when you want to emphasize how close you were to not achieving something. It conveys a sense of near success or avoidance.

Common error

Be careful not to confuse "I barely missed" (past tense, indicating something almost happened) with "I barely miss" (present tense, indicating a lack of fondness or frequent absence).

Linguistic Context

The phrase "I barely missed" functions as a statement expressing that the speaker nearly failed to achieve something or that something almost happened to them. It indicates a close call or near miss, as evidenced by the examples in Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "I barely missed" is a grammatically correct and usable expression that signifies nearly missing something. Ludwig AI confirms its validity and suggests that it is suitable for expressing near misses or close calls. The phrase is most commonly found in news and media contexts. While its usage is relatively rare, it effectively conveys the idea of narrowly avoiding an outcome or almost achieving something. When using this phrase, consider the subtle difference in meaning compared to similar expressions like "I nearly missed" or "I almost missed".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

I narrowly avoided

Emphasizes the slim margin by which something was avoided.

I almost missed

Highlights the closeness of the miss, focusing on the near occurrence.

I just avoided

Conveys the idea of having successfully prevented something at the last moment.

I came close to missing

Illustrates how near one was to not achieving or experiencing something.

I skirted disaster

Uses figurative language to describe narrowly avoiding a negative outcome.

I evaded by a hair's breadth

Idiomatic expression stressing how little separated one from an undesirable event.

I escaped by the skin of my teeth

Another idiom indicating a very narrow escape or avoidance.

I averted by a whisker

Emphasizes the small margin of avoidance, similar to 'by a hair's breadth'.

I dodged a bullet

Idiom describing the successful avoidance of a potentially harmful situation.

I scraped through

Suggests a difficult situation barely overcome, with a sense of relief.

FAQs

How can I use "I barely missed" in a sentence?

You can use "I barely missed" to express that you almost failed to do something or that something almost happened to you. For example, "I barely missed the train" or "I barely missed getting hit by a car".

What's a more formal way to say "I barely missed"?

Depending on the context, you could use phrases like "I narrowly avoided" or "I only just managed to". For example, instead of "I barely missed the deadline", you could say "I narrowly avoided missing the deadline".

What can I say instead of "I barely missed" to emphasize the negative outcome that was avoided?

You could use phrases like "I dodged a bullet" or "I escaped by the skin of my teeth" to emphasize the severity of what was avoided.

How does "I barely missed" differ from "I hardly missed"?

"I barely missed" means you almost didn't achieve something or something almost happened. "I hardly missed" means you rarely felt the absence of something or someone, indicating a lack of strong emotional connection or impact.