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
Johnny Dodd, People.com, 3 May 2025
Tatis finished third in the National League MVP balloting in 2021 but missed the 2022 season due to wrist surgery and a suspension following a performance-enhancing drug test.
—Steve Berman, New York Times, 3 May 2025
Hilary Whiteman and Angus Watson, CNN Money, 3 May 2025
On a roster that couldn’t afford a miss once Jackson, Bane and Morant graduated to expensive veteran deals, Smart was nearly dead money.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 2 May 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
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
—Johnny Dodd, People.com, 3 May 2025
Tatis finished third in the National League MVP balloting in 2021 but missed the 2022 season due to wrist surgery and a suspension following a performance-enhancing drug test.
—Steve Berman, New York Times, 3 May 2025
Noun
But analysts say his chances were badly damaged by policy misses and reversals, and weighed down by Trump’s wrecking-ball approach to the global order.
—Hilary Whiteman and Angus Watson, CNN Money, 3 May 2025
On a roster that couldn’t afford a miss once Jackson, Bane and Morant graduated to expensive veteran deals, Smart was nearly dead money.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 2 May 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 14 May. 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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