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. go missing
   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

But the total number of people who went missing may never become clear.

From BBC

The Ye’iitsoh has loomed over the events of this season, in both the mystery around the missing children as well as Leaphorn’s guilt.

From Los Angeles Times

After 2 ½ additional weeks at St. John’s, Duong felt he was “just being fed and given drugs, sitting there getting fat and missing my family.”

From Los Angeles Times

President Trump and other Republicans have repeatedly claimed that more than 300,000 migrant children are “missing, dead, sex slaves or slaves.”

From Los Angeles Times

But after working the joke over time, McGovern was able to connect her missing eyebrow to a childhood hurt: “It went out for a smoke and never came back, just like my dad.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• away
• lost
• removed