miss

¹

[ mis ]

verb (used with object)

1. to fail to hit or strike:

   to miss a target.

2. to fail to encounter, meet, catch, etc.:

   to miss a train.

3. to fail to take advantage of:

   to miss a chance.

4. to fail to be present at or for:

   to miss a day of school.

5. to notice the absence or loss of:

   When did you first miss your wallet?

6. to regret the absence or loss of:

   I miss you all dreadfully.

7. to escape or avoid:

   He just missed being caught.

8. to fail to perceive or understand:

   to miss the point of a remark.

verb (used without object)

1. to fail to hit something.
2. to fail of effect or success; be unsuccessful.

noun

1. a failure to hit something.
2. a failure of any kind.
3. an omission.
4. a misfire.

verb phrase

1. to fail to take advantage of, experience, etc.:

   You missed out on a great opportunity.

2. Chiefly British. to omit; leave out.

miss

²

[ mis ]

noun

, plural miss·es.

1. (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.

2. (used by itself, as a term of address, especially to a young woman):

   Miss, please bring me some ketchup.

3. (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.

4. a young unmarried woman; girl:

   a radiant miss of 18 or so.

5. misses,
   1. a range of sizes, chiefly from 6 to 20, for garments that fit women of average height and build.
   2. the department or section of a store where these garments are sold.
   3. a garment in this size range.

miss.

³

abbreviation for

1. mission.
2. missionary.

Miss.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. Mississippi.

Miss.

¹

abbreviation for

1. Mississippi

Miss

²

/ mɪs /

noun

1. a title of an unmarried woman or girl, usually used before the surname or sometimes alone in direct address

miss

³

/ mɪs /

noun

1. informal.
   an unmarried woman or girl, esp a schoolgirl

miss

⁴

/ mɪs /

verb

1. to fail to reach, hit, meet, find, or attain (some specified or implied aim, goal, target, etc)
2. tr to fail to attend or be present for

   to miss a train

   to miss an appointment

3. tr to fail to see, hear, understand, or perceive

   to miss a point

4. tr to lose, overlook, or fail to take advantage of

   to miss an opportunity

5. tr to leave out; omit

   to miss an entry in a list

6. tr to discover or regret the loss or absence of

   he missed his watch

   she missed him

7. tr to escape or avoid (something, esp a danger), usually narrowly

   he missed death by inches

8. miss the boat or miss the bus
   to lose an opportunity

noun

1. a failure to reach, hit, meet, find, etc
2. give something a miss informal.
   to avoid (something)

   give the pudding a miss

   give the lecture a miss

Gender Note

See Ms.

Derived Forms

• ˈmissable, adjective

Other Words From

• missa·ble adjective
• un·missa·ble adjective
• un·missed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of miss¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English missen, mis(e), Old English missan; cognate with Old Frisian missa, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch, Old High German missen, Old Norse missa “to fail to hit or reach”

Origin of miss²

First recorded in 1600–10; short for mistress

Word History and Origins

Origin of miss¹

C17: shortened from mistress

Origin of miss²

C17: shortened form of mistress

Origin of miss³

Old English missan (meaning: to fail to hit); related to Old High German missan, Old Norse missa

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. miss fire. fire ( def 55 ).

More idioms and phrases containing miss

• heart misses a beat
• hit or miss
• near miss
• not miss a trick

Example Sentences

You can’t help but miss out on something, and miss out big time.

From Los Angeles Times

In a febrile atmosphere where Van de Zandschulp's missed first serves were cheered, the 29-year-old Dutchman deserved great credit for staying focused and seeing out an important victory for his nation.

From BBC

Watson and Nicholls improved in the second set, but they were unable to stop their opponents from striking first and they missed three break points of their own to get back on serve at 3-1.

From BBC

When she could not be located, a missing person investigation was launched, leading to the discovery of her body in the boot of a car on Brisbane Road, Ilford.

From BBC

“Juni’s really helped him to settle in, to feel like he’s not missing things and has helped him to really kind of grasp and understand concepts.”

From Los Angeles Times

More About Miss

What is a basic definition of miss?

Miss means to fail to hit something, to fail to meet something, or to feel sadness over the absence or loss of something. The word miss has several other senses as a verb and a noun.

To miss something is to fail to hit or strike something, as with an arrow missing a target. If a runaway vehicle misses a stop sign, then it doesn’t smash into it.

• Real-life examples: If you throw a basketball to your friend and they don’t catch it, the ball misses. When a baseball player misses a baseball with their bat, they try to hit the ball with the bat but fail to. A bowling ball that doesn’t knock down any pins has missed them.
• Used in a sentence: Luckily, the falling tree branch missed me by a few inches and landed on the ground instead of on my head. 

Miss is used in this same sense as a noun to mean a failure to strike something.

• Used in a sentence: All of his attempts to throw the basketball into the hoop were misses. 

Miss is also used to mean to fail to meet something or someone.

• Real-life examples: If you are late meeting up with a friend, they might leave and you’ll miss them. If you take too long to get to the bus stop, the bus will leave without you and you’ll miss it.
• Used in a sentence: She missed the morning train and had to wait until the next one came. 

Miss is also used to mean to feel sad that something is gone or absent.

• Real-life examples: Parents often miss their children after they move out of the house. Everybody misses loved ones who have died. A person may miss a favorite food that is no longer being made.
• Used in a sentence: The freezing man missed the heat of Florida.

Where does miss come from?

The first records of miss come from before 900. It ultimately comes from the Old English word missan and is related to similar words with the same meaning, such as the Old High German missen and the Old Norse missa.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to miss?

• missable (adjective)
• unmissable (adjective)
• umissed (adjective)

What are some synonyms for miss?

• botch
• misfire
• long
• pine

What are some words that share a root or word element with miss? 

• missing
• miss a beat
• miss by a mile
• miss the point
• near miss

What are some words that often get used in discussing miss?

• throw
• swing
• aim
• shoot
• died

How is miss used in real life?

Miss is a very common word that most often means to fail to hit something.

I just fell asleep driving, drove off the road, and barely missed a tree..

— ev-v (@enkking18) September 3, 2014

I missed the bus to Missouri this morning 😭😭

— Ale 🥱 (@alesan2424) April 17, 2016

I'm going to miss my dog once I have to go back into the office for work.

— Carla Notarobot 🤖👩🏻‍💻 (@CarlaNotarobot) November 29, 2020

 

 

Try using miss!

Is miss used correctly in the following sentence?

Sarah swung the bat too late and missed hitting the ball.