Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Language: Old English
Origin: missan

miss

1 verb
     
miss1 S1 W2
1

not do something/fail to do something

[transitive] to not go somewhere or do something, especially when you want to but cannot:
I'm absolutely starving - I missed lunch.
He missed 20 games after breaking a bone in his wrist.
She was upset at missing all the excitement.
miss doing something
He had missed being elected by a single vote.
2

not hit/catch

[intransitive and transitive] to fail to hit or catch an object that is close to you, or to fail to hit a distant object that you are aiming at:
Every time she missed the ball she became more angry.
He fired, missed and loaded again.
The bullet narrowly missed her heart.
3

feel sad about somebody

[transitive] to feel sad because someone you love is not with you:
She missed her family badly.
Will you miss me?
John will be sorely missed by his family and friends.
4

feel sad about something

[transitive] to feel sad because you do not have something or cannot do something you had or did before:
I miss the car, but the bus system is good.
miss doing something
Ben knew he would miss working with Sabrina.
5

too late

[transitive] to be too late for something:
We got there late and missed the beginning of the movie.
miss the train/bus etc
I overslept and missed the train.
6

miss a chance/opportunity

to fail to use an opportunity to do something:
He certainly wasn't going to miss the chance of making some extra money.
Don't miss the chance to see the breathtaking Dolomite Mountains.
The opportunity was too good to miss so we left immediately.
7

not see/hear

[transitive] to not see, hear, or notice something, especially when it is difficult to notice:
Maeve's sharp eyes missed nothing.
Perhaps there's something the police have missed.
It's a huge hotel on the corner. You can't miss it (=it is very easy to notice or recognize).
You don't miss much, do you (=you are good at noticing things)?
John didn't miss a trick (=noticed every opportunity to get an advantage) when it came to cutting costs.
8

miss the point

to not understand the main point of what someone is saying
9

something is not to be missed

used to say that someone should do something while they have the opportunity:
A journey on one of the steam trains is certainly not to be missed!
10

avoid something

[transitive] to avoid something bad or unpleasant:
If we leave now we should miss the traffic.
miss doing something
As he crossed the street, a bus just missed hitting him.
They narrowly missed being killed in the fire.
11

I wouldn't miss it for the world

spoken used to say that you really want to go to an event, see something etc:
'Come to the party.' 'I will. I wouldn't miss it for the world.'
12

notice something isn't there

[transitive] to notice that something or someone is not in the place you expect them to be:
I didn't miss my wallet till it came to paying the bill.
13

miss the mark

to not achieve something you were trying to do:
Their efforts to improve quality have somewhat missed the mark.
14

miss the boat

informal to fail to take an opportunity that will give you an advantage:
You'll miss the boat if you don't buy shares now.
15

without missing a beat

if you do something without missing a beat, you do it without showing that you are surprised or shocked:
She handled all of their questions without missing a beat.
16

somebody's heart misses a beat

used to say that someone is very excited, surprised, or frightened:
Glancing up at Rick's face, she felt her heart miss a beat.
17

engine

[intransitive]TE if an engine misses, it stops working for a very short time and then starts again

miss out

phrasal verb
1 to not have the chance to do something that you enjoy and that would be good for you:
Some children miss out because their parents can't afford to pay for school trips.
miss out on
Prepare food in advance to ensure you don't miss out on the fun!
2

miss somebody/something ↔ out

British English to not include someone or something:
Make sure you don't miss any details out.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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