missing

adjective

miss·​ing ˈmi-siŋ 

1

: absent

a missing tooth

also : lost

my keys are missing

—sometimes used in the phrase go missing

My keys have gone missing.

2

: needed or expected but not included

It's a good sauce, but something is missing.

Synonyms of missing

• lost
• gone
• misplaced

Examples of missing in a Sentence

The new director has provided the missing ingredient that was needed for the show's success.

the missing socks turned up in the dog's special hiding place

Recent Examples on the Web

Laocoön and His Sons, an exquisite marble sculpture of the legendary Trojan priest writhing in agony as he’s attacked by sea-serpents, was first unearthed in the early sixteenth-century, the only missing piece his right arm. —Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026

Police did not typically conduct similar searches for people who hung missing-pet posters in that city, Stanley said. —Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026

The following day, she was declared missing, and a large-scale search was launched. —Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Feb. 2026

Rebecca Noble/Getty Images CBS News has learned investigators are also canvassing nearby gas stations in an effort to track down any vehicles captured on surveillance cameras around the time Nancy Guthrie went missing. —Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing missing

• missing in action
• missing link
• missing person report
• someone doesn't know what he/she is missing

Rhymes for missing

• hissing
• kissing
• characterising
• dismissing
• nipissing
• reminiscing

Kids Definition

missing

adjective

miss·​ing ˈmis-iŋ 

: absent entry 1 sense 1, lost

missing persons

missing in action