miss
miss Lexical Profile
miss Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A conventional title of respect prefixed to the surname or full name of an unmarried woman or girl, or used alone as a polite form of address (usually capitalized as 'Miss').
"Excuse me, miss, I believe you dropped your scarf near the entrance."
A failure to hit, catch, reach, or achieve a target, goal, or desired outcome.
"After three consecutive misses at the archery range, she adjusted her stance and hit the bullseye."
A young unmarried woman or girl, especially when referring to clothing sizes or youthful behavior.
"The department store relocated its junior misses' apparel section to the second floor."
• verb
To notice with regret or sadness the absence or loss of a person, place, or thing.
"After moving abroad for university, she deeply missed her family and childhood friends."
To fail to hit, reach, catch, or make contact with an object or target.
"The basketball player took a quick shot from the corner, but the ball missed the rim completely."
To arrive too late for or fail to attend a scheduled event, appointment, or mode of transport.
"Because of the heavy morning traffic, we missed our connecting train to Chicago."
To fail to notice, hear, understand, or perceive something.
"The auditorium was so noisy that I missed the speaker's opening remarks."
To escape or avoid something unpleasant or dangerous, often narrowly.
"The falling tree branch narrowly missed the parked car during the windstorm."
Word Nuance & Usage
When capitalized as a title of address ('Miss'), it traditionally precedes the surname or full name of an unmarried woman or girl, whereas 'Mrs.' is used for a married woman and 'Ms.' is marital-status neutral.
• Rhymes for miss
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The verb and failure-related noun derive from Old English 'missan' (to fail to hit, escape the notice of), from Proto-Germanic '*missijan'. The title and noun referring to a young woman originated in the 17th century as a contracted form of 'mistress'.