miscarry

American

[mis-kar-ee, mis-kar-ee] / mɪsˈkær i, ˈmɪsˌkær i /

verb (used without object)

miscarried, miscarrying

to have a miscarriage of a fetus.
to fail to attain the right or desired end; be unsuccessful.

The plan miscarried.
to go astray or be lost in transit, as a letter.

miscarry British

/ mɪsˈkærɪ /

verb

to expel a fetus prematurely from the womb; abort
to fail

all her plans miscarried
(of freight, mail, etc) to fail to reach a destination

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of miscarry

First recorded in 1275–1325, miscarry is from the Middle English word miscarien. See mis- ¹, carry

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.

She said many women do not share their pregnancy news before the 12-week scan, so if they miscarry earlier, they can struggle to know who to talk to which can be isolating.

From BBC

She bled for six hours and was convinced she had miscarried but when doctors checked, the heartbeat was still there and the pregnancy continued to full term.

From BBC

In one case, a pregnant woman miscarried after becoming ill, the agency said.

From Los Angeles Times

Rodriguez went on to miscarry while in custody, according to a lawsuit she filed against the federal government.

From Salon

But after a bleed early on, a test showed Rhiannon had miscarried at eight weeks.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023