hit-or-miss
adjective
careless; inattentive; haphazard.
Jump To:
-
hit-or-miss
-
hit or miss
hit or missHaphazardly, at random. For example, She took dozens of photos, hit or miss, hoping that some would be good. [c. 1600]
hit-or-miss
American
[hit-er-mis]
/ ˈhɪt ərˈmɪs /
adjective
hit or miss
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of hit-or-miss
First recorded in 1600–10
Vocabulary lists containing hit-or-miss
Occasional
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Occasional
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Under Walt, Disney built a mechanism to stabilize itself against the hit-or-miss business model of theatrical film releases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Cal agrees, saying the sketches have been in "hit-or-miss territory" - but "we're in year 51 of the US version and it's still like that".
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
The plot's busy, the visual effects hit-or-miss and its villains are neither potent nor memorable.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2024
Harris: Both clubs are similar, with talented rotations backed up by hit-or-miss offenses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2023
Anyway, just like any potential new friendship, the relationships born from the Last Friend app can be pretty hit-or-miss.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
With Schoenbrun, I often find it’s hit or miss.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026
For some traded instruments, buying when a golden cross appears, or selling when its opposite — a “death cross” — appears can be hit or miss.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Overseas acquisitions, however, can be hit or miss.
From BBC ● May 24, 2026
Over time, I started to encounter more Black Santas in retail spaces, but the selection was always hit or miss.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2025
That’s a little bit of hit or miss.
From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
