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miss

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verb British English pronunciation: miss /mɪs/ 
Word Forms
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present tense
I/you/we/theymiss
he/she/itmisses
present participlemissing
past tensemissed
past participlemissed
 
  1. 1
    [intransitive/transitive] to fail to hit or reach something that you aim at

    The plane missed the runway in the rain.

    He aimed a kick at it and missed.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  missThesaurus entry for this meaning of miss
    1. a.
      [intransitive] to fail to catch something that is being thrown or given to you

      I tried to catch the ball but missed.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  missThesaurus entry for this meaning of miss
  2. 2
    [transitive] to fail to be present for something, or to not be in a place when someone else is there

    We were late and missed the first part of the concert.

    I had to miss a week of school.

    We must have missed each other by about an hour.

    not miss something for the world (=not want to miss something you enjoy):

    I wouldn’t miss the annual Christmas party for the world.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  missThesaurus entry for this meaning of miss
  3. 3
    [transitive] to be too late for a train, bus etc

    I’ve got a meeting and I don’t want to miss the train.

    If you don’t go now you’ll miss the post.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  missThesaurus entry for this meaning of miss
  4. 4
    [transitive] to fail to notice or understand something

    I missed most of what she said.

    He caught most of the mistakes but missed a few.

    miss the point (=not understand what someone means):

    Sue had missed the point entirely.

    you can’t miss it (=it is very easy to notice):

    The house is next to the station – you can’t miss it.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  missThesaurus entry for this meaning of miss
  5. 5
    [transitive] to fail to take advantage of an opportunity
    miss a chance/opportunity to do something:

    She realized she had missed an opportunity to speak to Brian.

    He seemed unaware of the great chance that he had missed.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  missThesaurus entry for this meaning of miss
  6. 6
    [transitive] to escape something that is unpleasant or uncomfortable

    If I leave at eight, I miss the traffic.

    The accused man narrowly missed a prison sentence.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  missThesaurus entry for this meaning of miss
  7. 7
    [transitive] to feel sad about someone because they are not with you any more

    He was a tower of strength, and we miss him enormously.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  missThesaurus entry for this meaning of miss
    1. a.
      to wish you still had something or could still do something

      I’m missing our lunchtime drinks on Friday.

      miss doing something:

      We miss watching her ride her horse.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  missThesaurus entry for this meaning of miss
  8. 8
    [transitive] to notice that you do not have something any more

    She only missed the purse when she got home.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  missThesaurus entry for this meaning of miss

phrases

phrasal verbs

This is the British English definition of miss. View American English definition of miss.

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