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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.

A search is underway for a missing crew member after a US F-15E fighter jet flying over southern Iran was shot down on Friday, US media has reported.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

Witnesses flew from Brazil to testify that his ex-girlfriend, 24-year-old Ana Claudia Dos Santos, went missing in Brazil after breaking up with him.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

At the same time, the search for the missing airman was still ongoing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

There was confusion over which buttons to press as they wrestled with the mystery of how to reload a SmarTrip card—all of it intensified by the prospect of missing their train.

From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026

I ask, glancing back at my switchboard where lights are still continuing to flicker—calls I am missing, a job I am still supposed to be doing.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

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.