What does "missing" mean?

1. (lost or misplaced) used to describe something that you cannot find or that is gone. 2. (not present or omitted) not included in something, even though it should be there. 3. (engine failure) used to describe an engine that is not running smoothly. 4. (a gap in data) a piece of information that is not there in a list or set of facts.

How do you use "missing"?

Often used as a countable noun in statistical or data-processing contexts.

missing

adj. · n.

US //ˈmɪsɪŋ// UK //mˈɪsɪŋ// miss·ing

1 lost or misplaced (adj.)
A2 Elementary

used to describe something that you cannot find or that is gone.

describing an object or person that cannot be located or is absent from its expected position.

Example

I spent all morning looking for my missing keys.

Example

The police launched a formal investigation after the teenager was reported missing by his parents late Sunday evening.
- found
- present
2 not present or omitted (adj.)
B1 Intermediate

not included in something, even though it should be there.

absent from a set, series, or whole where inclusion is expected or required.

Example

There are a few pages missing from the middle of this book.

Example

The auditor noted that several critical signatures were missing from the final contract, rendering the document legally unenforceable.
- included
- complete

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3 engine failure (adj.)
C2 Proficiency Technical Technical

used to describe an engine that is not running smoothly.

referring to an internal combustion engine that fails to fire properly in one or more cylinders.

Example

The old car was missing badly as we tried to drive up the steep hill.

Example

The mechanic identified a fouled spark plug as the primary reason the engine had been missing during acceleration.
- misfiring
4 a gap in data (n.)
C1 Advanced Academic Technical Computing

a piece of information that is not there in a list or set of facts.

a null or absent value within a dataset or statistical observation.

Example

The software automatically highlights any missings in the spreadsheet.

Example

The researcher had to decide whether to exclude the participants with missings or to use an imputation method to fill the gaps.

Usage

Often used as a countable noun in statistical or data-processing contexts.
- null
- gap
- void

Origin

By surface analysis, miss + -ing.

Idioms2 entries