off the mark

English

Prepositional phrase

off the mark

  1. (figuratively) Inaccurate; not correct or appropriate.
    Synonyms: wide of the mark, off base, off-track, off target
    Antonyms: on the mark, on the money, on the dot, bang on; see also Thesaurus:exactly
    Coordinate term: near the mark
    His answers are consistently off the mark. None of them quite make sense.
    • 2014 September 8, Michael White, “Roll up, roll up! The Amazing Salmond will show a Scotland you won't believe”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian‎[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 17 October 2026:
      Whatever the outcome, Fleet Street's introspective pundits will say: "I told you so", and make dire predictions for the future, which are likely to be off the mark.
  2. Making a start (generally in comparison to others).
    • 2017, E. R. Hooton, Prelude to the First World War: The Balkan Wars 1912-1913, page iv:
      Sarafov was the first off the mark, but the other divisions did not jump off until an hour later and achieved nothing.

Translations

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