hit-or-miss

1 of 2

adjective

: marked by a lack of care, forethought, system, or plan
also : hit-and-miss

hit or miss

2 of 2

adverb

: in a hit-or-miss manner : haphazardly

Examples of hit-or-miss in a Sentence

Adjective your hit-or-miss schedule for taking your medication is going to land you in the hospital again Adverb I was learning Spanish hit or miss, mostly just by hearing my friends speak it.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Showers will be hit-or-miss, but there could be pockets of moderate to heavy rainfall, National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Wagner said. Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 21 Sep. 2025 Other areas of the region have seen more action, with over 2 inches in north Scottsdale, north Phoenix and parts of the West Valley, showing the hit-or-miss nature of monsoon storms. Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Adverb
Jetset Bomber Bomber jackets can be a hit or miss. Destinee Scott, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2025 Their defense has been hit or miss, particularly against the pass and when opponents establish the run. Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hit-or-miss

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1848, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1606, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hit-or-miss was in 1606

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hit-or-miss.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hit-or-miss. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

hit or miss

adverb
: without plan, order, or direction : haphazardly
hit-or-miss
ˌhit-ər-ˈmis
adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!