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Definition of miss verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

miss

verb
 
/mɪs/
 
/mɪs/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they miss
 
/mɪs/
 
/mɪs/
he / she / it misses
 
/ˈmɪsɪz/
 
/ˈmɪsɪz/
past simple missed
 
/mɪst/
 
/mɪst/
past participle missed
 
/mɪst/
 
/mɪst/
-ing form missing
 
/ˈmɪsɪŋ/
 
/ˈmɪsɪŋ/
Idioms Phrasal Verbs
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    be late

  1. [transitive] miss something/somebody to be or arrive too late for something
    • If I don't leave now I'll miss my plane.
    • Sorry I'm late—have I missed anything?
    • ‘Is Ann there?’ ‘You've just missed her (= she has just left).’
    • You'd better hurry—you don't want to miss the bus.
    • If you miss the deadline, you'll have to pay a fine.
  2. not be/go somewhere

  3. [transitive] miss something to fail to be or go somewhere
    • She hasn't missed a game all year.
    • You missed a good party last night (= because you did not go).
    • ‘Are you coming to the school play?’ ‘I wouldn't miss it for the world.’
  4. not do something

  5. [transitive] miss something to fail to do something
    • You can't afford to miss meals (= not eat meals) when you're in training.
    • You have to miss a turn (= to not play when it is your turn in a game).
    Topics Difficulty and failurea2
  6. [transitive] miss something to not take the opportunity to do something
    • The sale prices were too good to miss.
    • It was an opportunity not to be missed.
    • She missed the opportunity to take part.
    • Jackson never missed a chance to serve as teacher and mentor.
    • The film is a real missed opportunity—it could have been so much better.
  7. not hit, catch, etc.

  8. [transitive, intransitive] to fail to hit, catch, reach, etc. something
    • miss (somebody/something) How many goals has he missed this season?
    • The bullet missed her by about six inches.
    • It was a joke that missed its target.
    • The company has missed all its targets this year.
    • The van slid on the ice and narrowly missed colliding with us.
    • miss doing something She narrowly missed hitting him.
    Extra Examples
    • She attempted to hit the ball but missed badly.
    • Vidal missed a penalty in stoppage time.
    • The bullet missed his head by only a few inches.
    • The bullet somehow missed his heart.
    • The plane crashed, narrowly missing a hotel.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • completely
    • barely
    • just
    preposition
    • by
    See full entry
  9. not hear/see

  10. [transitive] miss something to fail to hear, see or notice something
    • The hotel is the only white building on the road—you can't miss it.
    • Don't miss next week's issue!
    • I missed her name.
    • No one will want to miss this film.
    • Your mother will know who's moved in—she doesn't miss much.
    • When you painted your bedroom, you missed a bit (= of the wall) under the window.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • completely
    • easily
    verb + miss
    • cannot
    See full entry
  11. not understand

  12. [transitive] miss something to fail to understand something
    • He completely missed the joke.
    • You're missing the point (= failing to understand the main part) of what I'm saying.
    • I think I must have missed something because none of this makes any sense.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • completely
    • easily
    verb + miss
    • cannot
    See full entry
  13. feel sad

  14. [transitive] to feel sad because you can no longer see somebody or do something that you like
    • miss somebody/something I still miss her a lot.
    • Your father misses you dreadfully.
    • She will be greatly missed when she leaves.
    • Anne, who died on 22 July, will be sadly missed by all who knew her.
    • What did you miss most when you were in France?
    • I'm really going to miss your cooking.
    • miss (somebody/something) doing something I don't miss getting up at six every morning!
    Homophones missed | mistmissed   mist
     
    /mɪst/
     
    /mɪst/
    • missed verb (past tense, past participle of miss)
      • He missed his daughter when she left home.
    • mist noun
      • They could barely see each other through the thick mist.
    • mist verb
      • My glasses mist up every time I open the oven door!
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • completely
    • easily
    verb + miss
    • cannot
    See full entry
  15. notice something not there

  16. [transitive] miss somebody/something to notice that somebody/something is not where they/it should be
    • When did you first miss the necklace?
    • Let’s go for a quick drink—nobody will miss us.
    • We seem to be missing some students this morning.
  17. avoid something bad

  18. [transitive] to avoid something unpleasant synonym escape
    • miss something If you go now you should miss the crowds.
    • miss doing something He fell and just missed knocking the whole display over.
    More Like This Verbs usually followed by -ing formsVerbs usually followed by -ing forms
  19. of engine

  20. (also misfire)
    (of an engine) to not work correctly because the petrol does not burn at the right time
  21. Word Originverb Old English missan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German missen.
Idioms
somebody’s heart misses/skips a beat
  1. used to say that somebody has a sudden feeling of fear, excitement, etc.
    • My heart missed a beat when I saw who it was.
he, she, etc. doesn’t miss a trick
  1. (informal) used to say that somebody notices every opportunity to gain an advantage
hit/miss the mark
  1. to succeed/fail in achieving or guessing something
    • He blushed furiously and Robyn knew she had hit the mark.
    • The film misses the mark because it just isn't believable.
    Topics Successc2, Doubt, guessing and certaintyc2, Difficulty and failurec2
miss the boat
  1. (informal) to be unable to take advantage of something because you are too late
    • If you don't buy now, you may find that you've missed the boat.
miss your guess
  1. (North American English, informal) to make a mistake
    • Unless I miss my guess, your computer needs a new hard drive.
    • If you miss your guess, you lose 10 points.
See miss in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee miss in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
elaborate
adjective
 
 
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