hit-and-miss

American  

[hit-n-mis] / ˈhɪt nˈmɪs /

adjective

1. sometimes successful or rewarding and sometimes not.

---

hit-and-miss British  

adjective

1. Also: hit or miss.  informal random; haphazard

   a hit-and-miss affair

   the technique is very hit and miss

---

Etymology

Origin of hit-and-miss

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hit-and-miss

The downpours will be hit-and-miss with some places remaining dry.

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026

Lucasfilm was hit-and-miss under Kennedy—for every Star Wars success story like The Force Awakens, there were duds like Solo, a spinoff that focuses on original trilogy icon Han Solo.

From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 2026

He’s done that for most of the season, although he had four interceptions against Baltimore and has been somewhat hit-and-miss during the playoffs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2024

It ended up being a pretty hit-and-miss day here.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 12, 2023

It was some five minutes later that he found Powell by hit-and-miss.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov