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

Harrowing footage circulating online shows his distraught father desperately searching among piles of bodies covered with black body bags, crying out for his missing son. —Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 2026

As soon as we were settled as a group, a few of us on the bed, a few cross-legged on the carpet, Rosie swore us to secrecy and showed us her pack of birth-control pills, from which three were missing. —Nell Freudenberger, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026

The missing bag contained three duffel bags — two smaller ones folded inside a larger Jaguar duffel from JCPenney. —Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026

The announcement was shared alongside the bulletin from when Quinn, 43, first went missing. —Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 26 Jan. 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