miss the mark
miss thuh MARK
/mɪs ðə mɑrk/
To fail to achieve the intended result or to be inaccurate.
Often used when an attempt was made but was slightly off or misunderstood the goal.
The story behind the word. This comes from archery or shooting, where the 'mark' is the target. If your arrow does not hit the target, you have missed the mark.
Word relationships
- err: 'Err' is more formal and implies making a mistake; 'miss the mark' implies failing a target.
- hit the bullseye: To hit the bullseye is to be perfectly accurate.
Commonly confused with
- fall short: 'Fall short' implies not reaching a quantity; 'miss the mark' implies missing a quality or target.
Collocations
- completely miss the mark
- wide of the mark
- miss the mark entirely
Example sentences
- "His attempt at a joke missed the mark and ended up offending people." Communication
- "The new product missed the mark because it didn't address what customers actually wanted." Business strategy
Memory hook
Imagine an archer whose arrow flies just to the left of the target. Aim was off.
When not to use
Not for total disasters; it implies an attempt that was simply inaccurate.
Fun facts
- In ancient Greek, the word for 'missing the mark' is 'hamartia', which is the root of the theological term for 'sin'.
Related words
Explore more words
inadvertent, make a mistake, error, malfunction, misinformation, inattention
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