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
Adjective
There are times, usually in the evening, when cell service can be hit-or-miss due to the size of the crowd. Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 23 Sep. 2024 Heading into this new season, Rudolph is cognizant of the fact that the stakes of the 2024 election — in which Trump is running against Harris — go far beyond cold opens and hit-or-miss comedy sketches. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2024
Adverb
Burton has been hit or miss of late, with his visual flair intact but his storytelling often in disarray. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2024 But the availability of the data was hit or miss for each address depending on the service provider, what kind of meters were in place and whether the utility was willing to share it. Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 7 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hit-or-miss 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hit-or-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

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

Dictionary Entries Near hit-or-miss

Cite this Entry

“Hit-or-miss.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hit-or-miss. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

hit or miss

adverb
: without plan, order, or direction : haphazardly
hit-or-miss
ˌhit-ər-ˈmis
adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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