~ is used to describe members of the armed forces who do not return from a military operation but who are not known to have been killed or captured. ~ is an abbreviation for ‘missing in action’. (mainly AM)
He was listed as ~.
ADJ
MIA
Meaning of MIA in English
Collins COBUILD. Толковый словарь английского языка для изучающих язык Коллинз COBUILD (международная база данных языков Бирмингемского университета) . 2012