miss

/mɪs/

/mɪs/

Other forms: missed; missing; misses

To miss is to fail to do or sense something, or to be without. If you miss all your free throws, your basketball team probably won't miss you if you skip a game.

The verb form of miss stems from the Old English missan “fail to hit what was aimed at,” while the noun form of miss, meaning a term of honor to a young woman is just the abbreviated form of mistress, which used to be a title of respect. You might not miss the days when every unmarried woman had to be called "Miss."

Definitions of miss

1. verb

   fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
   “I missed that remark”

   “She missed his point”

   synonyms: lose

   types:

   overlook

   look past, fail to notice
2. verb

   fail to attend an event or activity
   “I missed the concert”

   “He missed school for a week”

   antonyms:

   attend

   be present at (meetings, church services, university), etc.

   types:

   cut, skip

   intentionally fail to attend

   bunk off, play hooky

   play truant from work or school

   type of:

   fail, neglect

   fail to do something; leave something undone
3. verb

   fail to reach or get to
   “She missed her train”

   type of:

   fail, go wrong, miscarry

   be unsuccessful
4. verb

   fail to reach
   “The arrow missed the target”

   antonyms:

   hit

   hit against; come into sudden contact with

   strike, zonk

   deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon

   types:

   overshoot

   shoot beyond or over (a target)

   undershoot

   shoot short of or below (a target)
5. verb

   leave undone or leave out
   “How could I miss that typo?”

   “The workers on the conveyor belt miss one out of ten”

   synonyms: drop, leave out, neglect, omit, overleap, overlook, pretermit

   types:

   forget

   forget to do something

   jump, pass over, skip, skip over

   bypass
6. verb

   fail to experience
   “Fortunately, I missed the hurricane”

   synonyms: escape

   type of:

   avoid

   stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
7. noun

   a failure to hit (or meet or find etc)
   synonyms: misfire

   type of:

   failure

   an event that does not accomplish its intended purpose
8. verb

   feel or suffer from the lack of
   “He misses his mother”

   types:

   regret

   feel sad about the loss or absence of

   type of:

   desire, want

   feel or have a desire for; want strongly
9. verb

   be without
   “There is something missing in my jewelry box!”

   synonyms: lack

   antonyms:

   have

   have as a feature

   have, have got, hold

   have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense

   have, own, possess

   have ownership or possession of

   types:

   want

   be without, lack; be deficient in

   exclude

   lack or fail to include
10. verb

    be absent
    “The child had been missing for a week”
11. noun

    a young woman
    synonyms: fille, girl, missy, young lady, young woman

    types:

    babe, baby, sister

    (slang) sometimes used as a term of address for attractive young women

    belle

    a young woman who is the most charming and beautiful of several rivals

    bimbo

    a young woman indulged by rich and powerful older men

    chachka, tchotchke, tchotchkeleh, tsatske, tshatshke

    (Yiddish) an attractive, unconventional woman

    chit

    a dismissive term for a girl who is immature or who lacks respect

    colleen

    an Irish girl

    bird, chick, dame, doll, skirt

    informal terms for a (young) woman

    flapper

    a young woman in the 1920s who flaunted her unconventional conduct and dress

    gal

    alliterative term for girl (or woman)

    gamine

    a girl of impish appeal

    Gibson girl

    the idealized American girl of the 1890s as pictured by C. D. Gibson

    jeune fille, lass, lassie, young girl

    a girl or young woman who is unmarried

    maid, maiden

    an unmarried girl (especially a virgin)

    May queen, queen of the May

    the girl chosen queen of a May Day festival

    mill-girl

    a girl who works in a mill

    party girl

    an attractive young woman hired to attend parties and entertain men

    peri

    a beautiful and graceful girl

    ring girl

    a young woman who holds up cards indicating the number of the next round at prize fights

    rosebud

    (a literary reference to) a pretty young girl

    sex bomb, sex kitten, sexpot

    a young woman who is thought to have sex appeal

    shop girl

    a young female shop assistant

    soubrette

    a pert or flirtatious young girl

    sweater girl

    a girl with an attractive bust who wears tight sweaters

    hoyden, romp, tomboy

    a girl who behaves in a boyish manner

    valley girl

    a fashionable girl who grew up in the San Fernando Valley

    working girl

    a young woman who is employed

    bobby-socker, bobbysoxer

    an adolescent girl wearing bobby socks (common in the 1940s)

    damoiselle, damosel, damozel, damsel, demoiselle

    a young unmarried woman

    Lolita

    a sexually precocious young girl

    type of:

    adult female, woman

    an adult female person (as opposed to a man)