I. ˈmis verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English missen, from Old English missan; akin to Old High German missan to miss, Old Norse missa to miss, be lacking, Gothic maidjan to change, Latin mutare to change, Latvian mituôt to exchange, Sanskrit methati, mithati he changes
transitive verb
1. : to fail to hit, reach, or make contact with
missed the target by a good two feet
swung at the ball with great power but missed it
missed the step and fell to the ground
missed each other by seconds at the railroad station
missed his way
2.
a. : to discover the absence or omission of
missed his watch almost as soon as the stranger had left
cut out half of the third act knowing it would never be missed
b. : to feel the lack of : be unhappy because of the loss or absence of
missed his wife terribly
missed his old room and familiar surroundings
3.
a. : to fail to obtain or receive
ignorance misses the best things in this life — W.R.Inge
it is, no doubt, true that remarkable men … missed the presidency when contemporaries of far less ability attained it — H.J.Laski
b. archaic : to fail to do
lest I should miss to bid thee a good-morrow — John Keats
4. : escape , avoid
missed being killed by a few feet
just missed hitting the other car
5.
a. : to leave out : omit
in such a hurry that he missed his breakfast
not only is there an occasional beat missed at the wrist but there is no sound over the heart — H.G.Armstrong
has not missed a dividend in 39 years — Time
b. : to let slip : overlook
missed a bet in failing to see the possibilities of his discovery
book publishers are missing a trick in not making a wider practice of including their old titles in current book lists — J.D.Adams
6.
a. : to fail to perceive or understand
were delighted with its merciless exposure of aristocratic attitudes but missed its attack on the businessmen and the middle class — Max Lerner
to put the orthodox value on it is to expose an inappreciation of his most vital criticism, to miss its force — F.R.Leavis
miss the point
b. : to fail to see, hear, or experience
missed some of the softer passages
a picture not to be missed
though it was a frightening experience, he would not have missed it
7. : to neglect the performance of or attendance at
hasn't missed a day's work in years
missed school all week because of illness
seldom missed a major military operation — Ed Cunningham
8. : to be too late for
missed his train
missed his appointment by five minutes
intransitive verb
1. archaic : to fail to get or secure something : fail to find or reach someone or something : fail to do something — used with of
had very narrowly missed of success — T.B.Macaulay
2. : to fail to hit something
took three shots and missed each time
took another cut at the ball but missed again
3. archaic : to be lacking or absent
4.
a. : to be unsuccessful : fail — sometimes used with out
such a fine prospect that he can't miss
a play which missed on Broadway — William Barrett
this is his big chance and he can't afford to miss out
b. dialect Britain : to fail to germinate or grow
c. of a domestic animal : to fail to become pregnant when bred
d. : misfire — used of an internal-combustion engine
e. : to lose as caster of the dice ; specifically : to lose by throwing a point and then a seven rather than by throwing craps
•
- miss fire
- miss stays
- miss the boat
- miss the bus
II. noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English mis, misse, from missen, v.
1. chiefly dialect : want , loss , lack ; also : disadvantage, harm, or regret resulting from loss or deprivation
2.
a. : a failure to hit something struck at or aimed at
hit the nail on the head every time without a single miss
hit the target five times without a miss
whatever truth you contribute to the world will be one lucky shot in a thousand misses — Walter Lippman
b. : a failure to attain a desired or planned result
the picture is a pathetic miss — Time
3.
a. : miscarriage
the time she thought she was going to have a baby and only had a miss — Robert Fawcett
b. of a domestic animal : a failure to become pregnant after breeding
4. : a deliberate avoidance of something : go-by
felt so tired that she decided to give the dance a miss
give dessert a miss
5. : misfire
will pick up from there to a fast acceleration without a miss — Car Life
6. : an impression of a printing press when no sheet has been fed in
print a miss on the tympan as a base for makeready
7. : missout
III. (|)mis, _məs noun
( -es )
Etymology: short for mistress (I)
1. archaic
a. : prostitute
b. : a kept woman : mistress
2.
a. — used as a conventional title of courtesy before the name of an unmarried woman or girl
Miss Ann Brown
Miss Smith
or sometimes before the given name of a married woman
Miss Mary, the wife of Mr. Green
b. — used before the name of a place (as a country, city) or of a profession or other line of activity (as a sport) or before some epithet to form a title applied to a usually young unmarried female viewed or recognized as especially outstanding in or as representative of the thing indicated
was chosen as Miss America
well now, Miss High-and-Mighty
3. : young lady : girl — used in direct address and not followed by the given name or surname of the young woman addressed and used typically as a generalized term of conventional politeness in addressing a young woman that is a stranger
may I have the menu, miss
4. : a young unmarried woman or girl
a New England miss engaged to tutor his children — American Guide Series: Florida
no stage-struck miss has ever been quite so fortunate — Irish Digest
IV. ˈmis transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
: to address as miss
V. abbreviation
mission; missionary