: sometimes successful and sometimes not : not reliably good or successful

Examples of hit-and-miss in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Some users have reported limited success flashing firmware using Samsung's Odin to avoid losing data to a factory reset, although that seems to be very hit-and-miss. Joe Hindy, PCMAG, 3 Oct. 2024 Theatrical releases have become pricey hit-and-miss situations, but the streaming results put Wolfs in the win column for Apple, which has signed Watts to script to direct a sequel. Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2024 So these detection models are still really hit-and-miss. Leah Feiger, WIRED, 6 Sep. 2024 These movies, targeted at the AARP crowd (Girls Trip this is not) almost totally rely on the chemistry of casting, and this is where The Fabulous Four lives up to its name with Bette Midler, Susan Sarandon, Megan Mullally and Sheryl Lee Ralph all trying to sock some hit-and-miss material home. Pete Hammond, Deadline, 24 July 2024 While the band’s performances are spirited on A Kind of Magic, the songs are hit-and-miss, and Queen sometimes sounds lost in David Richards and Reinhold Mack’s cavernous production. Al Shipley, SPIN, 18 May 2024 Screenshot by Tom Warren / The Verge Like the image generation, the paragraph rewriting can be a little hit-and-miss, introducing different meaning to sentences by swapping out words. Tom Warren, The Verge, 21 Feb. 2024 Arizona’s Jayden de Laura The hit-and-miss quarterback had plenty of hits in Arizona’s 31-24 overtime loss at Mississippi State, accounting for three touchdowns and 386 total yards. Jon Wilner | , oregonlive, 10 Sep. 2023 Showers are likely to remain very hit-and-miss with measurable amounts mainly less than a quarter of an inch. David Streit, Washington Post, 3 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hit-and-miss.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hit-and-miss was in 1897

Dictionary Entries Near hit-and-miss

Cite this Entry

“Hit-and-miss.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hit-and-miss. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

hit-and-miss

adjective
ˌhit-ᵊn-ˈmis
: sometimes successful and sometimes not : haphazard

More from Merriam-Webster on hit-and-miss

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