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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hit-and-miss

However, due to the hit-and-miss nature of showers, some places will miss the rain and weather apps may struggle to get the detail of the forecast correct.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 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

Acquired amid much fanfare in a blockbuster trade with Houston following the 2019 preseason for Jacob Martin, Barkevious Mingo and a 2020 third-round pick, Clowney turned in something of a hit-and-miss season.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 4, 2023

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

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