- present participle of miss.
missing
Americanadjective
-
absent, not found, or lost.
a missing person.
-
lacking.
Something is missing in this relationship.
idioms
adjective
-
not present; absent or lost
-
not able to be traced and not known to be dead
nine men were missing after the attack
-
to become lost or disappear
Etymology
Origin of missing
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.
"There was missing paperwork, missing exhibits," John says.
From BBC • Jul. 10, 2026
A landslide triggered by heavy rains enhanced by Bavi killed at least five people and left six others missing on the Philippines' southern island of Mindanao, police said.
From Barron's • Jul. 10, 2026
In experiments with mice, scientists found that mRNA cancer vaccines remained highly effective even when an immune cell long believed to be essential was missing.
From Science Daily • Jul. 9, 2026
“It still takes a person to evaluate what’s useful, spot what’s missing, make sound decisions and apply context,” Rathod said.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 9, 2026
Dad is even louder now, ranting about his missing watch case.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
