miss
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /mɪs/
rhymes: -ɪs
Forms: form: misses
form: missing
form: missed
form: missed
Etymology: Verb from Middle English missen, from Old English missan (“to miss, escape the notice of a person”), from Proto-West Germanic *missijan, from Proto-Germanic *missijaną (“to miss, go wrong, fail”), from Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- (“to change, exchange, trade”). Cognate with West Frisian misse (“to miss”), Dutch missen (“to miss”), German missen (“to miss”), Norwegian Bokmål and Danish miste (“to lose”), Swedish missa (“to miss”), Norwegian Nynorsk, Icelandic missa (“to lose”) and Latin mittere (“to send, let go”).
Noun from Middle English misse, mis, from Old English miss (“loss, absence”), from Proto-West Germanic *miss, from Proto-Germanic *miss- (“loss”). Cognate with Scots miss (“a loss, want, cause of grief or mourning”), Middle High German misse, mis (“lack, missing, absence”), Icelandic missir (“loss”). Related also to Scots mis (“wrongdoing, sin, guilt”), Dutch mis (“misdeed, wrongdoing, mistake”), Middle Low German misse (“sin, wrong”).
Senses: examples: text: I fired the gun, but the bullet missed the target.
text: I tried to kick the ball, but missed.
text: She tried to grab hold of the end of the rope, but she missed.
text: Men observe when things hit, and not when they miss.
ref: 1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “(please specify the page, or |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC:
text: Flying bullets now,
 To execute his rage, appear too slow;
 They miss, or sweep but common souls away.
ref: 1666, Edmund Waller, "Instructions to a Painter:
glosses: To fail to hit, catch, grasp, etc.
examples: text: The driver swerved and just managed to miss the chicken crossing the road.
glosses: To avoid hitting.
examples: text: The company missed all its sales targets.
text: When a man misses his great end, happiness, he will acknowledge he judged not right.
ref: 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC:
glosses: To fail to achieve or attain.
examples: text: Joe missed the meeting this morning.
text: I usually watch the Oscars Ceremonies, but I missed it this year.
text: I'm starving! I missed breakfast this morning.
text: I only left the queue for a moment and now I've missed my turn.
text: This offer is too good to miss.
text: to miss an opportunity, to miss a chance
glosses: To fail to experience, attend, partake, take advantage of, etc.
examples: text: The car just missed hitting a passer-by.
text: We missed disaster by the skin of our teeth.
glosses: To avoid or escape.
examples: text: I miss you! Come home soon!
text: I miss going for walks along the beach.
text: I'm not going to the party, but I don't think I'll be missed.
text: I had left my wallet at home, but I only missed it when I got to the metro.
text: […] what by me thou haſt loſt thou leaſt ſhalt miſs.
ref: 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 58:
text: The boy became volubly friendly and bubbling over with unexpected humour and high spirits. He tried to persuade Cicely to stay away from the ball-room for a fourth dance. Nobody would miss them, he explained.
ref: 1909, Archibald Marshall [pseudonym; Arthur Hammond Marshall], chapter I, in The Squire’s Daughter, New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead and Company, published 1919, →OCLC:
glosses: To become aware of the loss or absence of; to feel the want or need of, sometimes with regret; to feel sadness at the absence of somebody or something.
examples: text: to miss the joke
antonyms: catch#Verb
glosses: To fail to understand.
examples: text: So I'm just going over my early notes, see if I missed anything.
glosses: To fail to notice; to have a shortcoming of perception; overlook.
examples: text: I missed the plane!
text: "Is Polly still here?" — "No, sorry, you've just missed her. She left a couple of minutes ago."
text: And we can't afford to miss the train back, as the next one is at 0704 tomorrow...
ref: 2025 March 5, “Ayr miles with a 'Spirit of Scotland'”, in RAIL, number 1030, page 45:
glosses: To be too late to connect with or meet something or someone (a means of transportation, a deadline, etc.).
examples: text: The car is missing essential features.
text: This jigsaw is missing several pieces.
qualifier: mostly continuous tenses
glosses: To be wanting; to lack something that should be present (see also adjectival missing).
examples: text: Miss me with that nonsense!
glosses: To spare someone of something unwanted or undesirable.
examples: text: Player A: J7. Player B: Q6. Table: 283. The flop missed both players!
topics: card-games
poker
glosses: To fail to help the hand of a player.
raw_tags: said of a card
examples: text: Georgia, ranked 16th in the world, dominated the breakdown before half-time and forced England into a host of infringements, but fly-half Merab Kvirikashvili missed three penalties.
ref: 2011 September 18, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 41-10 Georgia”, in BBC Sport:
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: To fail to score (a goal).
examples: text: Emongst the Angels, a whole legione / Of wicked Sprights did fall from happy blis; / What wonder then, if one of women all did mis?
ref: 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 2:
glosses: To go wrong; to err.
examples: text: What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
ref: c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act PROLOGUE, (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)]:
glosses: To be absent, deficient, or wanting.
Derived terms: amiss
blink-and-you'll-miss-it
blink-and-you-miss-it
hit-and-miss
hit-or-miss
hit-or-miss transform
I miss you
I never miss
miss a beat
missable
miss a trick
miss fire
misfire
missing
miss-meal colic
miss off
miss oneself
miss one's guess
miss one's tip
miss out
miss someone's point
miss stays
miss the boat
miss the bus
miss the forest for the trees
miss the mark
miss the memo
miss the point
miss the wood for the trees
miss the woods for the trees
not know what one is missing
you don't miss the water till the well runs dry
you miss 100% of the shots you don't take
you never miss the water till the well runs dry
you never miss the water until the well runs dry