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missing

adj.
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈmɪsɪŋ// UK //mˈɪsɪŋ// miss·ing General-service

adj. not in the place where it should be or where you expect it to be. You use this when something is lost or someone is not there.

adj. absent from a place where something or someone is expected to be found; lost or not present. Often follows a linking verb or acts as a postpositive modifier.


SIMPLE

My keys are missing again.

CONTEXTUAL

The police are searching for a missing person who was last seen near the park yesterday morning.

COMPLEX

After the storm, several roof tiles were missing, and the family spent the afternoon searching the garden for the debris to prevent further water damage.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

By surface analysis, miss + -ing.

Usage

Often follows the noun it modifies in specific phrases like 'person missing' or 'money missing', though it typically precedes the noun in general use.

Pitfall

I am missed my busI missed my busLearners confuse the adjective 'missing' (lost) with the past tense of the verb 'miss' (to fail to catch or be late).

Idioms2 entries

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