miss

[ mis ]

/ mɪs /

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See synonyms for miss on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

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)

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 Phrases

miss out, Chiefly British. to omit; leave out.

miss out on, to fail to take advantage of, experience, etc.: You missed out on a great opportunity.

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Idioms about miss

miss fire. fire (def. 54).

Origin of miss

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”

OTHER WORDS FROM miss

miss·a·ble, adjectiveun·miss·a·ble, adjectiveun·missed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH miss

midst, missed , mist

Other definitions for miss (2 of 4)

miss²

[ mis ]

/ mɪs /

noun, plural miss·es.

(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.

Origin of miss

First recorded in 1600–10; short for mistress

usage note for miss

See Ms.

Other definitions for miss (3 of 4)

miss.

abbreviation

mission.

missionary.

Other definitions for miss (4 of 4)

Miss.

abbreviation

Mississippi.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use miss in a sentence

That includes a somewhat infamous 9-point miss in 1948, when Thomas Dewey didn’t actually defeat Harry Truman.
The Polls Weren’t Great. But That’s Pretty Normal.|Nate Silver (nrsilver@fivethirtyeight.com)|November 11, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Williams said her top concern was maintaining adequate staff because Mayo personnel were becoming exposed or infected in the community along with other people, forcing them to quarantine and miss work.
With coronavirus cases spiking nationwide, all signs point to a harrowing autumn|Brady Dennis, Jacqueline Dupree, Marisa Iati|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
So much so that it’s easy to forget the big whiffs—and yet the list of misses is long.
What if Apple’s new Mac chips are trash?|rhhackettfortune|November 10, 2020|Fortune
The Texas hot links, the spare ribs, the turkey, the pulled pork, there’s nary a miss here.
The best barbecue joints in the D.C. area|Tim Carman|November 10, 2020|Washington Post

Just like in 2016, the predictors were foiled by bad misses in polling in states like Florida and Ohio.
What to Expect From the Election Turbulence to Come|Nick Fouriezos|November 4, 2020|Ozy
Ramos just missed being called for one police academy class.
In The Shadow of Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But in a television landscape still so afraid of showing kids that LGBT people exist, it still feels like a missed opportunity.
Yep, Korra and Asami Went in the Spirit Portal and Probably Kissed|Melissa Leon|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When his agent asked if he missed his wife, his mind flashed to an image of Alison.
What On Earth Is ‘The Affair’ About? Season One’s Baffling Finale|Tim Teeman|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Once a cadet dropped a brick from a third-story barracks window that barely missed Jackson.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor|S. C. Gwynne|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But in the meantime, every day that goes by without these resources is a missed opportunity.
Millions Promised for Ebola Not Adding Up|Abby Haglage|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She glanced up at him softly, under long lashes,—a thrilling glance; but he missed its radiance, for his own eyes were far away.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
This was shown at the Paris Salon, 1889, and missed the gold medal by two votes.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
With hands nervously working within her muff, she suddenly missed the handkerchief which she had placed there.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
Never in her life had the vicar's wife been guilty of profanity till now, but the opportunity was too golden to be missed.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
A gentleman being out a-shooting with Mr. Elwes, missed a dozen times successively.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various

British Dictionary definitions for miss (1 of 4)

miss¹

/ (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 forto miss a train; to miss an appointment

(tr) to fail to see, hear, understand, or perceiveto miss a point

(tr) to lose, overlook, or fail to take advantage ofto miss an opportunity

(tr) to leave out; omitto miss an entry in a list

(tr) to discover or regret the loss or absence ofhe missed his watch; she missed him

(tr) to escape or avoid (something, esp a danger), usually narrowlyhe missed death by inches

miss the boat or miss the bus to lose an opportunity

noun

a failure to reach, hit, meet, find, etc

give something a miss informal to avoid (something)give the lecture a miss; give the pudding a miss

Derived forms of miss

missable, adjective

Word Origin for miss

Old English missan (meaning: to fail to hit); related to Old High German missan, Old Norse missa

British Dictionary definitions for miss (2 of 4)

miss²

/ (mɪs) /

noun

informal an unmarried woman or girl, esp a schoolgirl

Word Origin for miss

C17: shortened form of mistress

British Dictionary definitions for miss (3 of 4)

Miss

/ (mɪs) /

noun

a title of an unmarried woman or girl, usually used before the surname or sometimes alone in direct address

Word Origin for Miss

C17: shortened from mistress

British Dictionary definitions for miss (4 of 4)

Miss.

abbreviation for

Mississippi

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with miss

miss

In addition to the idioms beginning with miss

miss a beat
miss by a mile
miss fire
miss is as good as a mile, a
miss much
miss out on
miss the boat
miss the point

also see:

heart misses a beat
hit or miss
near miss
not miss a trick

miss

Idioms about miss

Origin of miss

OTHER WORDS FROM miss

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH miss

Other definitions for miss (2 of 4)

Origin of miss

usage note for miss

Other definitions for miss (3 of 4)

Other definitions for miss (4 of 4)

Words related to miss

How to use miss in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for miss (1 of 4)

Derived forms of miss

Word Origin for miss

British Dictionary definitions for miss (2 of 4)

Word Origin for miss

British Dictionary definitions for miss (3 of 4)

Word Origin for Miss

British Dictionary definitions for miss (4 of 4)

Other Idioms and Phrases with miss