missing

[mis-ing]

adjective

1. absent, not found, or lost.

   a missing person.

2. lacking.

   Something is missing in this relationship.

missing

/ ˈmɪsɪŋ /

adjective

1. not present; absent or lost

2. not able to be traced and not known to be dead

   nine men were missing after the attack

3. to become lost or disappear

Word History and Origins

Origin of missing¹

First recorded in 1520–30; miss ¹ + -ing ²

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. go missing, to disappear; become lost.

   My keys have gone missing again.

Example Sentences

At least 27 people have died and others are missing, according to authorities, after floods in Mexico triggered landslides and swept away homes, vehicles and bridges.

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After suffering an injury in pre-season and missing the first three games of Liverpool's Premier League campaign, it had been a disjointed start to 2025-26 for Bradley.

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As officials scoured the site for clues, authorities acknowledged the agonizing wait for the families of those missing.

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"It's incredible to think that a girl of that age, 15, can go missing and nobody notice, nobody care," said Tom Bedford, a crime reporter who was working during the investigation.

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Nineteen people are missing after a blast at a military explosives manufacturing facility in Tennessee on Friday.

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Related Words

• away 
• lost 
• removed