miss
English meaning: Miss
Definition
A failure to hit.
Example
“He swung at the ball but it was a complete miss.”
Another example: “I really miss my friends now that I've moved abroad.”
Usage — When, Where & How
A noun and verb with several senses: a failure to hit or reach ('a near miss'), a feeling of absence ('I miss you'), and 'Miss' as a title for an unmarried woman or in beauty pageants ('Miss Universe'). Very common, neutral.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Old English 'missan' ('to fail to hit'); the title 'Miss' is a shortening of 'mistress', from the 17th century.
Synonyms
Antonyms / Opposites
Related Words
Common Collocations
- near miss
- miss the bus
- hit and miss
- miss out
- miss the point
- give it a miss
Word Forms
miss (v); misses; missed; missing; miss (n); Miss (title)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B