miss the point

1. Overlook or fail to understand the essential or important part of something, as in Chris missed the point of Gwen's complaint, thinking she was opposed to the date of the next meeting. This expression employs point in the sense of “the salient portion,” a usage dating from the late 1300s.

Example Sentences

Amanda explains what their anger really reveals about their deep anxieties around masculinity and race — and how they completely miss the point of what Superman has stood for forever.

From Salon

Do not miss the point: The battle is for our children’s future, not our present.

From Salon

Telling voters that he had followed the rules was to miss the point — they thought the rules themselves were bust.

From BBC

It feels like a slice of Americana in New South Wales perhaps - but that would miss the point that here, rodeo has become very much an outback Australian tradition in its own right.

From BBC

But while many say it is all just a show, they really miss the point.

From Salon

Related Words

• confuse 
• miscalculate 
• misconstrue 
• misinterpret 
• misjudge 
• misread