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Synonyms

miss the point

Idioms  

  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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But you miss the point if you fail to look at the bigger picture.

From Slate • Jan. 9, 2026

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 • Jun. 13, 2025

So, questions about whether too much is expected of him miss the point - he and Ferrari expect that of themselves.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2025

Its many female characters — so many, good, bad and mostly in between — not only demonstrate power, but, so you don’t miss the point, talk about it.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 17, 2024

Nowadays, we would call this plagiarism, but that would be entirely to miss the point.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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.