How to Use hit-or-miss in a Sentence

hit-or-miss

1 of 2 adjective
  • The Niners have been a hit-or-miss team the past two decades.
    Josh Dubow, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024
  • These were a bit more hit-or-miss, which brings me to one of the cons of the program.
    Neha Tandon, Women's Health, 28 Apr. 2023
  • Opinions, of course, will vary, but for me, the blend was a hit-or-miss affair.
    Chris Morris, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2023
  • But Google's track record with AI products is hit-or-miss.
    Gene Marks, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
  • 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
  • On-and-off sunshine dances with hit-or-miss showers and storms.
    A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 23 July 2023
  • The one gaming area that was hit-or-miss was Steam, which is still in beta on ChromeOS.
    Daniel Thorp-Lancaster, WIRED, 10 Aug. 2024
  • And that's hard in some places where short-term rentals are a hit-or-miss proposition.
    Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Our soupy air mass promotes the chance for some hit-or-miss downpours into the evening.
    Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 24 July 2024
  • But player movement is far from new and the results are hit-or-miss.
    Matthew Glenesk, The Indianapolis Star, 14 June 2023
  • Since then, it’s been pretty hit-or-miss with outcomes worse than flipping a coin over the past decade.
    Erik Kain, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024
  • Through this week, downpours will continue to be hit-or-miss.
    Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 29 July 2024
  • While plenty of it remained hit-or-miss for me, the lows felt less important as the highs got higher.
    Vulture Staff, Vulture, 13 May 2024
  • This should kick off hit-or-miss showers and storms during the afternoon.
    David Streit, Washington Post, 6 July 2023
  • Mobile spinoffs based on beloved console games can sometimes be hit-or-miss.
    Jon Porter, The Verge, 17 Mar. 2023
  • The best bet for now may be that meaningful rain stays south of the D.C. area, but some hit-or-miss activity still could drop a quarter- to half-inch on a few spots by the time the day’s done.
    Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 26 May 2023
  • This will be the theme during much of next week – cooler than normal temps and a string of hit-or-miss shower activity.
    oregonlive, 1 Sep. 2023
  • Tim Cindric, that excellence will have to come in the face of what has yet again been another hit-or-miss campaign on road and street courses.
    Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 25 July 2023
  • The Indianapolis running game was hit-or-miss with Richardson out of the lineup last season.
    The Indianapolis Star, 17 Jan. 2024
  • Lillian shops for her clients almost every weekday, but finding the right item can be hit-or-miss depending on the day.
    Paige Hagy, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2023
  • Despite the one that started it all, Halloween episodes tend to be slightly more hit-or-miss than other holidays for Bob’s.
    Lillian Brown, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024
  • Higher totals may be more hit-or-miss than yesterday, but some spots can see another half-inch to an inch or more.
    Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 29 Apr. 2023
  • Somewhat more rain has fallen in July, but it has been hit-or-miss with the highest amounts east of Interstate 95 and minimal totals to the west.
    Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 29 July 2024
  • But Canales ominously said last week the Panthers would consider Marshall’s entire, hit-or-miss body of work, which was largely a miss.
    Joseph Person, The Athletic, 27 Aug. 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
  • Tesla’s previous Master Plans have been largely hit-or-miss.
    Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 2 Mar. 2023
  • Some hit-or-miss showers and storms could again pop across the area, with perhaps a better chance of more numerous showers and storms developing Thursday night as lows settle in the low-to-mid 70s.
    Matt Rogers, Washington Post, 9 July 2024
  • Simien tries to instigate conversations by watching scenes from movies with his subjects, with hit-or-miss results.
    Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Aug. 2024
  • Next up was Giancarlo Stanton, the exemplar of our hit-or-miss moment: he’s amassed more home runs and strikeouts than any active player.
    Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2024
  • The dream sequences, flashbacks and sidetracks don’t always succeed, and Torres’s absurdist humor is hit-or-miss.
    Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024

hit or miss

2 of 2 adverb
  • I was learning Spanish hit or miss, mostly just by hearing my friends speak it.
  • The action is hit or miss, and the humor lands in a lot of scenes.
    Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 12 June 2023
  • The food might've been hit or miss, the singers, service and suds more than make up for that.
    Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 22 July 2024
  • Lip tints can be very hit or miss, and some can be quite sticky.
    Alyssa Bailey, ELLE, 27 Mar. 2023
  • They should be hit or miss but could drop some heavy rain in spots.
    Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 26 July 2022
  • The selection of a new host can be very much hit or miss.
    Lisa Respers France, CNN, 4 Dec. 2020
  • But since taking over as GM in 2012, his track record in the draft has been hit or miss.
    Sporting Green Staff, SFChronicle.com, 14 Nov. 2020
  • Good prompts are key, and outcomes may still be hit or miss.
    Jill Collins, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
  • The dining room tends to fill up fast, and service can be hit or miss.
    oregonlive, 1 July 2022
  • The movies in between have been hit or miss — mostly miss.
    Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 19 Oct. 2022
  • The new characters are hit or miss, and more of the latter than the former.
    Joshua Alston, Variety, 30 Mar. 2023
  • They could be hit or miss, with the hits capable of very heavy rain.
    Washington Post, 6 June 2021
  • What about the years in between? As a kid, Sophie’s health care was hit or miss.
    Amy Silverman, STAT, 2 June 2023
  • James Lea knows that reaching the space station can be hit or miss.
    Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2020
  • That seems unlikely, in spite of a few hit or miss T-storms in the forecast.
    Paul Douglas, Star Tribune, 19 July 2021
  • The shift meals can be hit or miss, but the salmon is undeniably good.
    Bon Appétit Contributor, Bon Appétit, 21 July 2022
  • The 91-year-old Eastwood has been hit or miss at the box office in recent years.
    Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 15 Sep. 2021
  • The proportion of water to rice has a big impact on whether the dish is a hit or miss.
    cleveland, 29 June 2020
  • The largemouth spawn in his area is more limited, and hit or miss.
    Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 22 May 2024
  • The Ravens have made a habit of playing in close games this season, while the Jaguars have largely been hit or miss in 2022.
    Richard Morin, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2022
  • Brenden Schooler and Tarik Black have been hit or miss.
    Nick Moyle, ExpressNews.com, 27 Oct. 2020
  • Sidewalks are also hit or miss for those walking in the area.
    BostonGlobe.com, 29 Jan. 2022
  • This has been an area that has been hit or miss for us the last two years – performing when Bron is out.
    Mark Medina, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2021
  • The runways were spotty to say the least, and her performances in the challenges were very hit or miss.
    Paul McCallion, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2021
  • For Riley Moss, it’s been hit or miss all day in his first game back from injury.
    Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 28 Dec. 2024
  • They can still be hit or miss, but things are trending in the right direction.
    Chris Welch, The Verge, 11 Dec. 2023
  • Expect more hit or miss showers and storms over far East Texas.
    Dallas News, 17 June 2020
  • Tobin’s drafts have been hit or miss, more the latter in recent years.
    Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 10 Sep. 2020
  • It’s mainly light and hit or miss through the day as temperatures try for the low 50s for highs.
    Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 5 Dec. 2022
  • Some of the stronger storms may produce wind gusts of 40-50 mph, but they will be hit or miss, and much of the region will remain dry.
    Kxas-Tv (nbc5), Dallas News, 3 Sep. 2023

Some of 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.

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