[miss] vb [ME, fr. OE missan; akin to OHG missan to miss] vt (bef. 12c) 1: to fail to hit, reach, or contact
2: to discover or feel the absence of
3: to fail to obtain
4: escape, avoid "just ~ed hitting the other car"
5: to leave out: omit
6: to fail to comprehend, sense, or experience "~ed the point of the speech" 7: to fail to perform or attend "had to ~ school for a week" ~ vi 1 archaic: to fail to get, reach, or do something
2: to fail to hit something 3 a: to be unsuccessful b: misfire "the engine ~ed" -- miss.able adj -- miss a beat : to deviate from regular smooth performance "the company changed ownership without missing a beat" -- miss out on : to lose a good opportunity for "missed out on a better job" -- miss the boat : to fail to take advantage of an opportunity
[2]miss n (12c) 1 chiefly dial: disadvantage or regret resulting from loss "we know the ~ of you, and even hunger ... to see you --Samuel Richardson"
2. a: a failure to hit b: a failure to attain a desired result
3: misfire [3]miss n [short for mistress] (ca. 1667) 1 cap a--used as a title prefixed to the name of an unmarried woman or girl b--used before the name of a place or of a line of activity or before some epithet to form a title for a usu. young unmarried female who is representative of the thing indicated "Miss America"
2: young lady--used without a name as a conventional term of address to a young woman
3: a young unmarried woman or girl