miss
1to 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.
to fail to hit something.
to fail of effect or success; be unsuccessful.
a failure to hit something.
a failure of any kind.
an omission.
a misfire.
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.
Idioms about miss
miss fire. fire (def. 55).
Origin of miss
1Other words from miss
- miss·a·ble, adjective
- un·miss·a·ble, adjective
- un·missed, adjective
Words that may be confused with miss
Other definitions for miss (2 of 4)
(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
2usage note For miss
Other definitions for miss. (3 of 4)
mission.
missionary.
Other definitions for Miss. (4 of 4)
Mississippi.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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 | FiveThirtyEightWilliams 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 PostSo much so that it’s easy to forget the big whiffs—and yet the list of misses is long.
The Texas hot links, the spare ribs, the turkey, the pulled pork, there’s nary a miss here.
Just like in 2016, the predictors were foiled by bad misses in polling in states like Florida and Ohio.
Ramos just missed being called for one police academy class.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen 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 | THE DAILY BEASTOnce 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 | THE DAILY BEASTBut in the meantime, every day that goes by without these resources is a missed opportunity.
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. WilliamsonThis 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 ClementWith hands nervously working within her muff, she suddenly missed the handkerchief which she had placed there.
Hilda Lessways | Arnold BennettNever 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 WillsA 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)
/ (mɪs) /
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
miss the boat or miss the bus to lose an opportunity
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
Origin of miss
1- See also miss out
Derived forms of miss
- missable, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for miss (2 of 4)
/ (mɪs) /
informal an unmarried woman or girl, esp a schoolgirl
Origin of miss
2British Dictionary definitions for Miss (3 of 4)
/ (mɪs) /
a title of an unmarried woman or girl, usually used before the surname or sometimes alone in direct address
Origin of Miss
3British Dictionary definitions for Miss. (4 of 4)
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
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
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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