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Meaning & use

miss the mark

phrase, verb·Advancedfigurative

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UK/ˈmɪs ðə ˈmɑːk/
US/ˈmɪs ðə ˈmɑːrk/

Meanings

  1. phraseidiomfigurative

    To fail to achieve the intended result or to be wrong about something.

    Grammar: Used with a subject that is a thing, plan or remark: the ad missed the mark.

    Patterns

    • something misses the mark
    • completely miss the mark

    The advertisement tried to be funny but missed the mark.

    His guess about the cost missed the mark by a wide margin.

    If the lesson misses the mark, students will feel lost.

  2. verbintransitive

    To fail to hit a target in a literal sense, for example in archery or shooting.

    Grammar: No object: the arrow missed the mark.

    Patterns

    • miss the mark

    The first arrow missed the mark by a few inches.

    He aimed carefully but missed the mark again.

    Several shots missed the mark in the competition.

Word forms

third person singularmisses the mark
past tensemissed the mark
past participlemissed the mark
-ing formmissing the mark

Common combinations

miss the mark completely
The sequel missed the mark completely.
narrowly miss the mark
Their forecast narrowly missed the mark.
miss the mark with an audience
The campaign missed the mark with young shoppers.
miss the mark entirely
The review missed the mark entirely.
far from missing the mark
His comment was far from missing the mark.

Synonyms and how they differ

fall short
Fall short means failing to reach a standard, but it does not imply being wrongly aimed like miss the mark.
fail
Fail is plainer and stronger, while miss the mark is gentler and more figurative.
fall flat
Fall flat suggests a joke or event had no effect, whereas miss the mark suggests it was off target.

Opposites

hit the markhit the nail on the head

Word family

miss verb
to fail to hit or reach something
mark noun
a target or standard
off the mark phrase
inaccurate or wrong
on the mark phrase
accurate

Commonly confused: miss the mark or miss the boat?

miss the mark vs miss the boat

Miss the boat means to lose an opportunity because you were too late, whereas miss the mark means failing to hit the intended aim.

Practice

The speech was long but ___ the mark, because it never addressed the audience's concerns.

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