wide of the mark
idiom
: not accurate or correct : not achieving the desired result
Their estimates were completely wide of the mark.
The results of the fund-raising were wide of the mark.
Examples of wide of the mark in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Short walked, stole second base and on his steal of third base the throw there was wide of the mark, allowing Short to score.
—
Steve Fryer, Orange County Register, 19 Mar. 2025
To describe him as somehow representative of the elite therefore strikes me as wide of the mark.
—Harper's Magazine, 27 Feb. 2025
Although the movie's predictions of interplanetary exploration ultimately proved wide of the mark, the continuation of HAL 9000's story remains pertinent.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 19 Dec. 2024
Dismissing Verstappen’s stance as grandstanding would be naive and wide of the mark.
—Dan Cancian, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024
McDonald lost $30 to $40 million for his investors after his premise that the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2020 US election would result in a stock market plunge proved wide of the mark.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 June 2024
Tellingly, the duel produces no clear victor: both fire wide of the mark.
—Nathan Jeffers, Hazlitt, 28 Feb. 2024
And comparisons to 2019’s record-breaking global box office are wide of the mark for Acuna.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2024
Although the common throwaway comments that Ligue 1 is a farmers’ league are wide of the mark, its teams are falling short when matched up with rivals abroad.
—Henry Flynn, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
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Steve Fryer, Orange County Register, 19 Mar. 2025
To describe him as somehow representative of the elite therefore strikes me as wide of the mark.
—Harper's Magazine, 27 Feb. 2025
Although the movie's predictions of interplanetary exploration ultimately proved wide of the mark, the continuation of HAL 9000's story remains pertinent.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 19 Dec. 2024
Dismissing Verstappen’s stance as grandstanding would be naive and wide of the mark.
—Dan Cancian, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024
McDonald lost $30 to $40 million for his investors after his premise that the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2020 US election would result in a stock market plunge proved wide of the mark.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 June 2024
Tellingly, the duel produces no clear victor: both fire wide of the mark.
—Nathan Jeffers, Hazlitt, 28 Feb. 2024
And comparisons to 2019’s record-breaking global box office are wide of the mark for Acuna.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2024
Although the common throwaway comments that Ligue 1 is a farmers’ league are wide of the mark, its teams are falling short when matched up with rivals abroad.
—Henry Flynn, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Wide of the mark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wide%20of%20the%20mark. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.
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