missed the mark
Fell short, erred
To miss the mark is to fall short of a goal or fail to achieve what was intended.
The phrase comes from archery and target shooting—an arrow or bullet that misses the mark fails to hit its target.
The figurative sense dominates: Her joke missed the mark and no one laughed.
A prediction, criticism, or creative work that misses the mark fails to be accurate, effective, or relevant.
- failedDid not succeed
- erroneousContaining factual mistakes
- inaccurateNot correct or precise
- unsuccessfulNot achieving desired outcome
- way offExtremely inaccurate
not even close · misjudgment · flawed · misfire · dropped the ball · off-target · error · mistake · imprecise · blunder · ineffective · fell flat · slip-up · miscalculation · oversight · lost the plot · barking up the wrong tree · disappointment
missed the markhit the mark
Achieve intended result
bullseye · dead on · on target · spot on · right on the money
missed the marksucceeded
Achieved desired outcome
delivered · came through · made it · nailed it · accomplished
missed the markgot it right
hit the nail on the head · correct · on the money · comprehended
miss, missed, missing, misses, mark, marks, marked, marking, marker