missed; missing; misses
1
: to fail to hit, reach, or contact
miss the target
2
: to fail to perform or attend
had to miss school for a week
3
: to leave out : omit
in such a hurry that he missed his breakfast
4
: to discover or feel the absence of
missed his wallet as soon as he entered the store
5
: to fail to comprehend, sense, or experience
missed the point of the speech
7
: to fail to obtain
ignorance misses the best things in this life—
W. R. Inge
W. R. Inge1
: to fail to hit something
took another cut at the ball but missed again
2
a
: to be unsuccessful
such a fine prospect that he can't miss
b
: misfire
the engine missed
3
archaic
: to fail to get, reach, or do something
1
a
: a failure to hit
b
: a failure to attain a desired result
2
: misfire
3
chiefly dialectal
: disadvantage or regret resulting from loss
we know the miss of you, and even hunger … to see you—Samuel Richardson
Samuel Richardson1
capitalized
a
—used as a title prefixed to the name of an unmarried woman or girl
b
—used before the name of a place or of a line of activity or before some epithet to form a title for a usually young unmarried female who is representative of the thing indicated
Miss America
2
: young lady
—used without a name as a conventional term of address to a young woman
3
: a young unmarried woman or girl
4
misses plural
: a clothing size for women of average height and build
Examples of miss in a Sentence
Verb
He swung and missed the ball completely.
The shot missed the goal by inches.
The batter swung and missed.
She took three shots and missed every time.
I would hate to miss this opportunity.
She could have joined us, but she missed her chance.
They missed a payment on their car loan.
He was in such a hurry that he missed breakfast.
Noun (1)
a television season with far fewer hits than misses
Noun (2)
a talented young miss who wants to become a writer
you should ask that young miss if she would like to dance
Recent Examples on the Web
Toby Wong, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Pike was reported missing on Jan. 27, and her remains were discovered on Feb. 14.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 1 July 2025
Jeff Rueter, New York Times, 30 June 2025
Tillman made amends for his miss early in the second half by poking a pass ahead for Arfsten, who surged in from the left wing to send the ball into the opposite corner for the lead.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for miss
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Brand, Reputation And Crisis Dashboards Boards track financial, cyber and operational risk but often miss brand equity and corporate reputation.
—Toby Wong, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Pike was reported missing on Jan. 27, and her remains were discovered on Feb. 14.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 1 July 2025
Noun
Tillman made up for his earlier miss, converting a shot just inches away from where his first attempt hit the post to give the U.S. a 2-1 edge.
—Jeff Rueter, New York Times, 30 June 2025
Tillman made amends for his miss early in the second half by poking a pass ahead for Arfsten, who surged in from the left wing to send the ball into the opposite corner for the lead.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for miss
Cite this Entry
“Miss.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miss. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
miss
1 of 3 verb1
: to fail to hit, catch, reach, or get
miss a target
miss the ball
2
: escape entry 1 sense 2, avoid
just missed being hurt
3
a
: to leave out : omit
missed their lunch
b
: to fail to attend
missed three days of school
4
: to discover or feel the absence of
missed our old friends
5
: to fail to understand, sense, or experience
missed the main point of the story
6
: misfire sense 1
the engine missed
miss
2 of 3 noun1
: a failure to reach a desired goal or result
2
: a failure to fire
miss
3 of 3 noun sense 1 is (ˌ)mis,
məs;
sense 2 is ˈmis
1
a
—used as a title before the name of an unmarried woman or girl
b
—used before the name of a place, an activity, an epithet, or a quality to form a title for a girl who represents the thing indicated
Miss America
Miss Punctuality
2
: a young woman or girl
—used as a term of address
this way, Miss
3
plural
: a clothing size for women of average height and build
Etymology
Verb
Old English missan "to fail to reach or get"
Noun
a shortened form of mistress
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