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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Typically, that doesn’t bode well for passengers as quality can be hit-or-miss.
    Chris Dong, Travel + Leisure, 17 Sep. 2023
  • Air conditioning is hit-or-miss in some of the rooms, and offices for the shelter directors (which are also located in hotel rooms) still have moving boxes on the floor.
    Samantha J. Gross, BostonGlobe.com, 28 July 2023
  • Showers and thunderstorms are possible during the late afternoon and evening, with the potential for brief hit-or-miss downpours.
    Matt Rogers, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
  • Partly sunny and very warm conditions continue on Monday and Tuesday with another shot for a hit-or-miss thunderstorm late in the day.
    Kxas-Tv (nbc5), Dallas News, 8 May 2023
  • Both clubs are similar, with talented rotations backed up by hit-or-miss offenses.
    Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2023
  • In the 1980s, the Egyptian Stella was a hit-or-miss beer: bottles were filled to different levels, a sure sign of quality problems, and some barkeepers even reported finding matches and nails inside of bottles.
    Steve Hindy, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2015
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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
  • 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
  • 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
  • It will probably be hit or miss, but a few spots could see as much as an inch or so.
    Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2020
  • The world of remakes, revivals and reboots on TV has been distinctly hit or miss in the past half-decade or so.
    Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2024

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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