hit-and-miss

American  

[hit-n-mis] / ˈhɪt nˈmɪs /

adjective

1. sometimes successful or rewarding and sometimes not.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of hit-and-miss

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

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

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

And to say its fusillade of jokes is hit-and-miss would also be a charitable take.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 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

Our fathers could've asked Coach Ben for his rec center affiliations and proof that he had the skill set to train kids, but like I said, our fathers were hit-and-miss.

From Salon • Sep. 14, 2023

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

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov