1. to lose an opportunity; to arrive too late and miss out on something

1. If you’re late to the interview, you'll miss the boat for the job.

2. There were tickets available last week, but he missed the boat by waiting till today to try to buy some.

3. I decided not to go to college, but watching all my friends go off made me feel like I'd missed the boat.

4. Pay attention, John, or you’ll miss the boat and not learn algebra.

5. Tom really missed the boat when it came to making friends.