miss
verb (used with object)
to fail to hit or strike.
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miss
1 American
[mis]
/ mɪs /
verb (used with object)
-
misses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
missed,
past participle, past
-
missing
present participle
-
to fail to hit or strike.
to miss a target.
-
to fail to encounter, meet, catch, etc..
to miss a train.
-
to fail to take advantage of.
to miss a chance.
-
to fail to be present at or for.
to miss a day of school.
-
to notice the absence or loss of.
When did you first miss your wallet?
-
to regret the absence or loss of.
I miss you all dreadfully.
-
to escape or avoid.
He just missed being caught.
-
to fail to perceive or understand.
to miss the point of a remark.
verb (used without object)
-
misses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
missed,
past participle, past
-
missing
present participle
-
to fail to hit something.
-
to fail of effect or success; be unsuccessful.
noun
-
a failure to hit something.
-
a failure of any kind.
-
an omission.
-
a misfire.
verb phrase
-
miss out on to fail to take advantage of, experience, etc..
You missed out on a great opportunity.
-
miss out to omit; leave out.
idioms
miss
2
American
[mis]
/ mɪs /
noun
-
misses
plural
-
(initial capital letter) a title of respect for an unmarried woman, conventionally prefixed to her name or to the name of that which she represents.
Miss Mary Jones; Miss Sweden.
-
(used by itself, as a term of address, especially to a young woman).
Miss, please bring me some ketchup.
-
(initial capital letter) a title prefixed to a mock surname used to represent a particular attribute of the person, especially one excessively prominent.
Miss Innocent; Miss Congeniality.
-
a young unmarried woman; girl.
a radiant miss of 18 or so.
-
misses,
-
a range of sizes, chiefly from 6 to 20, for garments that fit women of average height and build.
-
the department or section of a store where these garments are sold.
-
a garment in this size range.
-
miss.
3
American
abbreviation
-
mission.
-
missionary.
Miss.
4
American
abbreviation
miss
1
British
/ mɪs /
verb
-
to fail to reach, hit, meet, find, or attain (some specified or implied aim, goal, target, etc)
-
(tr) to fail to attend or be present for
to miss a train
to miss an appointment
-
(tr) to fail to see, hear, understand, or perceive
to miss a point
-
(tr) to lose, overlook, or fail to take advantage of
to miss an opportunity
-
(tr) to leave out; omit
to miss an entry in a list
-
(tr) to discover or regret the loss or absence of
he missed his watch
she missed him
-
(tr) to escape or avoid (something, esp a danger), usually narrowly
he missed death by inches
-
to lose an opportunity
noun
-
a failure to reach, hit, meet, find, etc
-
informal to avoid (something)
give the lecture a miss
give the pudding a miss
Miss.
2
British
abbreviation
Miss
3
British
/ mɪs /
noun
miss
4
British
/ mɪs /
noun
miss
More Idioms
Usage
What is a basic definition of miss? Miss means to fail to hit something, to fail to meet something, or to feel sadness over the absence or loss of something. The word miss has several other senses as a verb and a noun. To miss something is to fail to hit or strike something, as with an arrow missing a target. If a runaway vehicle misses a stop sign, then it doesn’t smash into it.
- Real-life examples: If you throw a basketball to your friend and they don’t catch it, the ball misses. When a baseball player misses a baseball with their bat, they try to hit the ball with the bat but fail to. A bowling ball that doesn’t knock down any pins has missed them.
- Used in a sentence: Luckily, the falling tree branch missed me by a few inches and landed on the ground instead of on my head.
- Used in a sentence: All of his attempts to throw the basketball into the hoop were misses.
- Real-life examples: If you are late meeting up with a friend, they might leave and you’ll miss them. If you take too long to get to the bus stop, the bus will leave without you and you’ll miss it.
- Used in a sentence: She missed the morning train and had to wait until the next one came.
- Real-life examples: Parents often miss their children after they move out of the house. Everybody misses loved ones who have died. A person may miss a favorite food that is no longer being made.
- Used in a sentence: The freezing man missed the heat of Florida.
Gender
See Ms.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
misssimple
-
missessimple
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have missedperfect
-
has missedperfect
-
am missingprogressive
-
are missingprogressive
-
is missingprogressive
-
have been missingperfect progressive
-
has been missingperfect progressive
Past
-
missedsimple
-
had missedperfect
-
was missingprogressive
-
were missingprogressive
-
had been missingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of miss1
First recorded before 900; Middle English missen, mis(e), Old English missan; cognate with Old Frisian missa, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch, Old High German missen, Old Norse missa “to fail to hit or reach”
Origin of miss2
First recorded in 1600–10; short for mistress
Explanation
To miss is to fail to do or sense something, or to be without. If you miss all your free throws, your basketball team probably won't miss you if you skip a game. The verb form of miss stems from the Old English missan “fail to hit what was aimed at,” while the noun form of miss, meaning a term of honor to a young woman is just the abbreviated form of mistress, which used to be a title of respect. You might not miss the days when every unmarried woman had to be called "Miss."
Vocabulary lists containing miss
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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.
See Examples For:
“I do miss it,” Stone said of bedside nursing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
Simmons was forced to miss the 2024 Paris Olympics with a back injury after passing on the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021 Games even when relatively healthy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
A quote from hockey legend Wayne Gretzky hangs in her office: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
The 2025 Super Bowl winner was then placed on injured reserve so will miss at least four weeks, with back-up Tanner McKee coming in for his third NFL start at home to the Carolina Panthers.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
I take out my phone and look back at the text Brie sent me last week to make sure I didn’t miss something, but it’s exactly how I remembered it.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
“But if you get hit with a hurricane and an asteroid in the same period, we’ll miss. And that’s OK.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026
"It's difficult to find time to gather and see everyone. This is what we miss. We feel like the time flies very, very fast because we're busy," she says.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2025
“It’s a nice, firm spiral, man, and the guy doesn’t miss. Literally, can’t say enough great things.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2025
“Yeah, us, like we out there jacking up 100 threes a night. JJ, JJ, you come for the king, you better not miss. ‘
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 3, 2025
“It’s not easy to miss. When you feel sad, you look sad.”
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
Richoux, who lives in Picayune, Miss., appreciates that DTC brands have made the delicacy more readily available.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
This spring, Ole Miss’s star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss bought a $1.9 million townhouse on the Square, the historic shopping and restaurant hub in Oxford, Miss., records show.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
His attorneys, however, note that the envelopes were postmarked in Jackson, Miss., not Colorado.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
The cases against Proper, 19, remains ongoing, as do the cases against the two other alleged co-conspirators: Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Miss., and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
He always calls his students Mr. and Miss. “You can’t fly on one wing.”
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
The self-declared modern-day Miss Marple warned Kenny to be on the lookout for anyone acting differently, reasoning that "if you're suddenly a traitor, you're going to be a bit on high alert".
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Yes, I remember watching the BBC Miss Marple adaptations in the ’80s, and then the Poirots, and “Inspector Morse.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Miss Danielle seems like the right choice to audition for because the role is age-appropriate, and Mona wants to be included however she can be.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
"Miss Marple is so on," Hart said with a smile.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Because the all-day task of pushing buttons was boring, I was tempted to chitchat, but Miss Buckner’s warning not to fraternize with the patrons stayed fresh in my mind.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
It conflates European recycling systems with the market-based infrastructure that drives recycling in the U.S. and misses a more important question.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Fernandes rarely misses a game but was left out of the recent Nations League encounter with Norway as national team boss Jorge Jesus said the former Sporting man was "playing through pain".
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
But that "no longer exists," he said, adding that he misses sitting outside with his friends at night -- an activity now considered dangerous due to prolonged power cuts and heightened insecurity.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
"The kind of person who misses a flight and, instead of panicking, calmly adapts to the situation. This person may still feel stressed, but they're better able to manage it through psychological flexibility."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
I guess she misses my sarcasm, because she smiles.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama missed 30 games in 2025 due to a deep-vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
Madueke strikes late but who missed his big chance?
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
Not every missed opportunity was a result of automated vetting processes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
In the 37-34 defeat by the Bills, Mevis missed a 50-yard field-goal attempt, and a potential winning 48-yard attempt in overtime that was blocked.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
How I missed the signs that should’ve been obvious.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Leicester's Gabriel Hamer-Webb, who made his Wales debut against Scotland in the Six Nations, also returns after missing out in the summer.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
The missing teeth provided an unexpected clue that helped researchers identify the animals.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
Other than the missing 23 carats of diamonds, the replica Super Bowl LVI rings fans received on Sunday at SoFi Stadium looked like the real thing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026
She said China risked missing its official target for the year, spurring a recent roll-out of mortgage subsidies for certain home purchases and support for infrastructure investment.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
I have to send in the work I was missing by midnight.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
