ENGLISH
REFERENCE

miss

n. countable
A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈmɪs// UK //mˈɪs// miss Archaic Dialect General-service Informal Slang Vulgar

n. a title used before the last name of a girl or a woman who is not married. You can also use it to address a female teacher or a young woman whose name you do not know.

n. a title of respect prefixed to the surname of an unmarried woman. Often used as a vocative to address a female teacher or a young woman in service contexts.


SIMPLE

Miss Smith is my new English teacher.

CONTEXTUAL

The invitation was addressed to Miss Taylor, as she had not yet married her partner.

COMPLEX

While the use of marital titles has declined in professional settings in favor of more neutral alternatives, many primary school students still address their instructors as Miss followed by their surname.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From mistress.

Usage

Capitalized when used as a title before a name. When used as a form of address without a name, it is often lowercase in general prose but capitalized in direct address.

Pitfall

the Miss SmithMiss SmithTitles used with names do not take the definite article 'the'.

Idioms8 entries

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