Two Ships Passing in the Night.
English
idiom
People who meet briefly and then go separate ways.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
People who meet briefly and then go separate ways.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
People who briefly cross paths but never truly connect, or who are rarely in the same place at the same time.
Two ships passing in the night describes a fleeting encounter or a relationship where two people keep missing each other.
It is often used to describe people whose lives briefly intersect but never meaningfully overlap.
"Like Ships in the Night"
—
The same expression — two people who pass briefly without truly connecting
"Missed Connection"
—
A specific instance where two people nearly meet or connect but just fail to do so
"Two Ships Passing in the Night"
—
People who briefly cross paths but never truly connect or keep missing each other
We barely see each other anymore — you leave before I wake up and I'm asleep by the time you're home.
I know — we're becoming like two ships passing in the night. We need to fix that.
Did anything happen with that person you met at the conference?
Two ships passing in the night — we exchanged details but never followed up.
Do you two ever actually spend time together between work and travel?
Barely — we joke that we're two ships passing in the night most weeks.
