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Showing results for "missing"
  • present participle of miss.
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Synonyms

missing

American  
[mis-ing] / ˈmɪs ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. absent, not found, or lost.

    a missing person.

  2. lacking.

    Something is missing in this relationship.


idioms

  1. go missing, to disappear; become lost.

    My keys have gone missing again.

missing British  
/ 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

"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

Etymology

Origin of missing

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

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.

See Examples For:

"We did have one or two tip-offs... we tried to find her, but we kept missing her," Hannah said.

From BBC Aug. 17, 2026

More than 100 people remain missing, but rescue operations have been called off in many buildings.

From Barron's Aug. 17, 2026

Yet Israel appears to be missing a strategic window.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 16, 2026

“Talladega Nights” pegs this missing link between America’s urban past and its exurban future from its opening seconds, putting a quote about “hot, nasty, badass speed” in the mouth of New York Swell Eleanor Roosevelt.

From Salon Aug. 16, 2026

The family followed these directions to the letter; they couldn’t risk missing Leila or Frankie, whose childhood pranks “would fill a book.”

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

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