I. ˈmis verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English missan; akin to Old High German missan to miss
Date: before 12th century
transitive verb
1. : to fail to hit, reach, or contact
miss the target
2. : to discover or feel the absence of
3. : to fail to obtain
4. : escape , avoid
just miss ed hitting the other car
5. : to leave out : omit
6. : to fail to comprehend, sense, or experience
miss ed the point of the speech
7. : to fail to perform or attend
had to miss school for a week
intransitive verb
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 miss ed
• miss·able ˈmi-sə-bəl adjective
•
- miss a beat
- miss out on
- miss the boat
II. noun
Date: 12th century
1. chiefly dialect : disadvantage or regret resulting from loss
we know the miss 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
III. noun
Etymology: short for mistress
Date: 1667
1. capitalized
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 usually 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
4. plural : a clothing size for women of average height and build