wide of the mark
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
wide of the mark
- /ˈwaɪd əv ðə ˈmɑːk/ UK
- /ˈwaɪd əv ðə ˈmɑɹk/ US
Where it comes from
From archery and sports jargon. Sometimes corrupted to wide(ly) off the mark (as in far off the mark, way off base).
adjective
- Of a projectile: missing the target. Each had a gun, and the three had been shooting at a number of rabbits. Only Werner had been successful, the others shooting wide of the mark.
- (Very) inaccurate. Well, I suppose you could say the weatherman was wide of the mark again then!
Similar: off the mark, off base · Opposite: on the mark
Thesaurus
adjective
Similar: off the mark, off base · Opposite: on the mark
Talk about this word "wide of the mark." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/wide%20of%20the%20mark. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. wide of the mark. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/wide%20of%20the%20mark "wide of the mark." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/wide%20of%20the%20mark.Cite this
@misc{wide_of_the_mark_2026,
title = {wide of the mark},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/wide%20of%20the%20mark},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
