# miss the boat

Pronunciation: say "mis thuh BOHT" US /ˌmɪs ðə ˈboʊt/, UK /ˌmɪs ðə ˈbəʊt/

## Verb

1. To fail to take advantage of an opportunity, especially by acting too late or overlooking it entirely.
   - Simple: To lose a chance because you waited too long or did not notice it.
   - _Investors who hesitate during a downturn often miss the boat on the eventual recovery._
   - _By the time the company entered the smartphone market, it had already missed the boat._

## Origin

The phrase alludes to failing to catch a boat in time, effectively "missing" the boat. It has been popular since the 1920s.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/miss-the-boat (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).