miscarry
Americanverb (used without object)
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to have a miscarriage of a fetus.
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to fail to attain the right or desired end; be unsuccessful.
The plan miscarried.
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to go astray or be lost in transit, as a letter.
verb
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to expel a fetus prematurely from the womb; abort
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to fail
all her plans miscarried
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(of freight, mail, etc) to fail to reach a destination
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has miscarriedperfect 3rd person singular
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have miscarriedperfect
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is miscarryingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been miscarryingperfect progressive
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are miscarryingprogressive
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miscarriessingular 3rd person
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has been miscarryingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am miscarryingprogressive 1st person singular
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miscarryingparticiple
Past
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had miscarriedperfect
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was miscarryingprogressive singular
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were miscarryingprogressive plural
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miscarriedparticiple
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had been miscarryingperfect progressive
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miscarriedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of miscarry
First recorded in 1275–1325, miscarry is from the Middle English word miscarien. See mis- 1, carry
Vocabulary lists containing miscarry
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.
The pilot suggests the extra costs of staff and training are outweighed by the money saved having fewer women miscarry.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
Rodriguez went on to miscarry while in custody, according to a lawsuit she filed against the federal government.
From Salon • Oct. 22, 2025
Up to one in four women who know they are pregnant will miscarry, according to the National Library of Medicine.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2024
“A lot of people successfully miscarry on their own, but that can take a couple months,” Loren said in an interview.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 5, 2024
Even with the arrows gone they fared little better, for Athena had now come to take a part in the great deeds being done and she made each attempt to reach Odysseus miscarry.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
