hit-or-miss
adjective
careless; inattentive; haphazard.
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hit-or-miss
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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
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Occasional
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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:
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
There are efforts afoot to standardize protocols for clots, so the chances of landing a proper diagnosis and quick treatment aren’t so hit-or-miss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2025
The plot's busy, the visual effects hit-or-miss and its villains are neither potent nor memorable.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2024
The Monteros began holding pop-up plant markets in March 2022, which they said were hit-or-miss but provided valuable lessons about what it takes to run a small business.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 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
Murphy’s over-the-top style makes his shows very hit or miss.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
Edmunds’ touch on his passes was hit or miss Saturday — Huntington Beach scoring the third-fewest points in pool play — but his power behind every throw kept the Oilers in every contest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2025
"It was really hit or miss because every day he would go out to do sound check, and he would choose one of his three pianos and play something like Expecting To Fly," says Hannah.
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2025
When first developed, gene editing was less like cutting and pasting genes and more like sending in a drone that can hit or miss its target – a piece of DNA.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2024
That’s a little bit of hit or miss.
From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor
Definitions 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.
