miss
verb (used with object)
to fail to hit or strike.
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
-
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
Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"In Response to Executive Order 9066"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
Even so, he began rehab, knowing he would miss the entire 1975 season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Cassidy also warned that requiring families to return repeatedly increases the chance children will miss doses, leaving them — and others — vulnerable to preventable illnesses.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
"You have to literally stay on duty and stare at the screen the whole time, because you can easily miss it," said Esko, who did not appear to struggle, even late into the night.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
MarketWatch spoke to a variety of experts, from contractors to economists, to identify some of the most common hidden costs of owning a home that new homeowners can miss or underestimate.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
“I don’t want you to go. Belle will miss Midnight.”
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
“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
"The banter is the big thing that I miss. When I arrived, one guy said 'hey, you look just like Ross King off the TV - no offence'. I miss the banter."
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 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
“That’s what I miss. Being surprised by movies.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2024
"Yes, three flights down. Or the lift is faster, miss. Oh, wait, aren't you..."
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
His attorneys, however, note that the envelopes were postmarked in Jackson, Miss., not Colorado.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Preston Arrington began renting land from his father in Sunflower County, Miss., a quarter-century ago to grow cotton and grains — becoming the fourth generation of his family to choose a career in the fields.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has supported the project in Southaven, Miss., saying in January External link that xAI is spending upward of $20 billion and bringing hundreds of jobs to the area.
From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026
Musk’s artificial intelligence company and its subsidiary MZX Tech are illegally operating gas turbines without an air permit at a data center in Southaven, Miss., in violation of the Clean Air Act, the lawsuit said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
So I say: ‘But I’ll be all right, Miss. I’m really fit, I know how to look after myself. When it’s time for donations, I’ll be able to do it really well.’
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
After serving half his original sentence, Bear was released from prison, but between 1 March 2025 and 21 July 2025 began posting on Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube and Facebook about the case and Miss Harrison.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Over the next few days, I met my other neighbors, including Miss Rosita and Mr. Art.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The 36-year-old was told not to post or incite comments on social media about that case or Miss Harrison, but did so multiple times in 2025 while she was pregnant.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
After leading Ole Miss to the cusp of its first-ever playoff appearance, Kiffin left his employer in the lurch, skipping town for a rival job.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
“Didn’t you hear anything at the funeral? He was the old schoolmaster before Miss Myrt’s time. Ten foot tall in his clawhammer coat.”
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Klaasen was superbly caught by a diving Donald on the boundary before Bracewell was pinned lbw, and the crowd came to life at Dawson's swings and misses at his first two balls.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
The discourse around celebrity weight loss misses the point: The hardest conversations are the ones we owe to the people right next to us.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Dean Lyulkin, CEO of Cardiff and a former executive at Fisher Investments, agreed that management’s guidance outweighs whether SpaceX beats or misses on earnings.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
"By providing bursaries to those who need them most and fully funding apprenticeship training, we are making sure cost is not the reason someone misses out," McFadden said.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Maybe Dane had friends like I once did, friends who are gone now, and he misses them the way I miss Kara and Locke.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
It estimates staying put costs British savers around £12bn in missed interest every year, based on analysis of Financial Conduct Authority data.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
As a military son and a military husband, I know how deeply military families feel about every milestone missed and every week added to a combat deployment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
He missed much of the 2024-25 campaign after sustaining a serious knee injury, and parts of last season were disrupted by a hamstring issue.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
As part of his reporting, he regularly listens to corporate earnings calls and began noticing a pattern: When publicly traded alcohol companies missed sales targets, executives often reached for the same explanation.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
It was Betsie I had missed every moment of every day since I ran to the hospital window and found that she had left Ravensbruck forever.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
“Talladega Nights” pegs this missing link between America’s urban past and its exurban future from its opening seconds, putting a quote about “hot, nasty, badass speed” in the mouth of New York Swell Eleanor Roosevelt.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
George Smyth, a University of Bristol student from Shropshire, had been missing since 23 November in the Bucegi mountains, despite daily searches, Brașov Mountain Rescue said.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Rachel Hinken long wondered why her son, Oliver, seemed to be missing key growth milestones, including speech and walking delays.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Later that year, a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island left more than 4,300 people dead or missing.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
It was missing four teeth, but the tiny pink stones along the top glowed whenever I held it up to the sun.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
