missed the boat

ADJECTIVE

late

Synonyms

STRONGEST

last-minute slow

WEAK

backward behind behind time behindhand belated blown delayed dilatory eleventh hour gone held up hung up in a bind in the lurch jammed lagging out of luck overdue postponed put off remiss stayed strapped tardy too late unpunctual

Antonyms

WEAK

antique early live old old-fashioned on time prompt punctual

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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missed the boat

"I think we missed the boat after the Premier League ship sailed. We are no longer the best of the rest," Dr. France acknowledges.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

But Russia had in many ways missed the boat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026

The opportunities ahead — tokenization, spot ETFs, custody improvements — mean you haven’t missed the boat.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 16, 2025

“We’ve now unfortunately really missed the boat on being able to put a lid on the outbreak earlier,” Dr. Lawler said.

From New York Times ● Jul. 23, 2022

If she missed the boat she could live well until another year.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George

missed the boat

Example Sentences

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