missingmiss‧ing /ˈmɪsɪŋ/ ●●○ adjective 
We found the missing piece of the jigsaw under the chair. The keys have been missing for ages.missing from Two bottles were missing from the drugs cupboard.go missing British English The scissors have gone missing again.2if part of something is missing, it is no longer attached or has been destroyed: Two of her front teeth were missing. The last page of the diary was missing.missing from There’s a button missing from your shirt.3someone who is missing has disappeared, and no one knows if they are alive or dead: Two crew members survived, but two are still missing.go missing British English Nearly 100,000 young people go missing in Britain each year. When Lily did not come home, her parents called the police to report her missing.4not present or not included in somethingmissing from Why is my name missing from the list? Something was missing from her life.5missing in action a soldier who is missing in action has not returned after a battle and their body has not been found
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A small sum of money went missing from the office last night.
- Can you spot the missing number in this series?
- Oh no! The last page is missing from the book!
- One of my earrings is missing - have you seen it?
- Police are 'very concerned' for the safety of a teenager who's been missing from home for three days.
- She's been missing for three days now, and we're very worried.
- Some of the puzzle pieces are missing.
- Suddenly he looked around and realized one of the children was missing.
- The baby was born with a finger missing.
- The man had reported his girlfriend missing three days after she disappeared.
- The painting, which has been missing for almost half a century, only turned up when the owner of the house died.
- There's a screw missing.
- Three buttons were missing from his shirt.
- Two pages were missing from my copy of the report.
- A missing half wandered somewhere else, arriving much later.
- Even little boys have gone missing.
- She was surprised, and not a little worried, to find Petion missing.
- The first few minutes of the film were somehow missing, but he watched it through to the end.
- Therapeutic studies on intestinal M avium complex infection are missing and an effective therapy for cryptosporidiosis is not available at present.
- When they returned to finish the work after a weekend break, they found parts of the posts missing and broken.
- Windows missing and doors off the hinges.
Longman Language Activatorto become impossible to find
if someone or something disappears , you do not know where they are and cannot find them: · Where are my keys? They seem to have disappeared.· By the time of the trial, the tape had mysteriously disappeared.disappear from: · Thirteen-year-old Nicola disappeared from her home on Saturday night.disappear with something: · When I turned round, I discovered the man had disappeared with my bag.
if someone or something vanishes , they disappear and you cannot understand what has happened to them: · When she returned, her car had vanished.vanish from: · Smith vanished from Heathrow Airport in 1969 and is believed to be living in Florida.vanish into thin air (=vanish quickly, leaving no sign): · The company that supplied the missing cargo seems to have vanished into thin air.
British if an object goes missing , it is no longer in the place where it should be and may have been stolen; if a person goes missing , they cannot be found, and may be in danger: · Security was tightened up at the embassy after a number of important files went missing.· He's a strange man -- sometimes he goes missing for days and doesn't tell a soul.go missing from: · Stock has been going missing from the stock room, and we're trying to find out who is responsible.
British /without a trace American: disappear/vanish/sink without trace to disappear completely without leaving any sign of what happened: · A father and son have disappeared without trace while on a walking expedition in the mountains.· Several aircraft and ships have vanished without trace in the notorious Bermuda Triangle.
to not have something also haven't got especially British · I don't have any brothers or sisters.· My parents haven't got a television.· The store didn't have the right type of glue in stock.· She hasn't got anything to wear for her interview.· Haven't we got any more tomatoes? I need some for the salad.not have something with you (=not have brought something with you) · I'm sorry, I don't seem to have my credit card with me -- can I pay by cheque?
if you do something without something, you do not have or own that thing: · Billy came to class without his school books.· You can't get a passport without a birth certificate.· There are so many people without jobs that companies receive hundreds of applications to each advertisement.· The schools are having to provide programs without adequate funding.
if something is missing , you do not have it because it has been lost, removed, or stolen: · Two of her front teeth were missing.· When I put my hand inside my pocket I discovered that my wallet was missing.have something missing: · The dog has part of his left ear missing.what's missing is/all that's missing is: · It's such a romantic setting -- all that's missing is the candles.
to not be here · How would she know what happened? She wasn't even here.· Why aren't the scissors here where they belong?· The supermarket hasn't been here long but it's already doing a lot of business.
if someone or something is not around they are not here or anywhere in this area, especially when they are needed: · If Julie isn't around, maybe Maria could help you.· Every time I want to talk to Ted, he's not around.· Why isn't there ever a taxi around when you need one?
to not be in your home, the place where you work etc for a short time, especially when someone wants to see you: · Sally phoned while you were out. I told her to phone back later.· Mr Rogers isn't in at the moment. Can I help you?· I'm going to be out all afternoon.· I'm so busy. If anyone calls for me, tell them I'm not in.
to not be at home, school, or work for several days or weeks, because you are travelling or staying somewhere else: · "We're taking a trip to California." "Oh, how long do you plan to be away?"be away from: · My job requires me to be away from home for five months of the year.be away on business: · While Kurt was away on business, his wife completely redecorated the house.
formal if someone is absent , they are not here, especially in school or the place where they work, because they are ill, on holiday etc: · According to the personnel department you have been absent twice this week already.be absent from: · James was absent from school again today.
informal if someone is off , they are not at work, usually because they are ill or on holiday. In British English you can also use this when someone is not at school: · I'll be off all next week, so I can do some of the yard work then.be off with: · Becky's been off for several days with a bad back.be off sick: · Chris has been off sick a lot lately.be off school/work British: · Jenkins isn't off school again, is he? What's his excuse this time?
a missing thing is lost and may have been stolen; a missing person cannot be found and may be in danger: · One of my earrings is missing - have you seen it?missing from: · Oh no! The last page is missing from the book!
someone or something that you cannot find a missing object is lost and may have been stolen; a missing person cannot be found and may be in danger: · She's been missing for three days now, and we're very worried.· The painting, which has been missing for almost half a century, only turned up when the owner of the house died.missing from: · Police are 'very concerned' for the safety of a teenager who's been missing from home for three days. · Two pages were missing from my copy of the report.go missing (from) British (=become lost or be stolen): · A small sum of money went missing from the office last night.report somebody/something missing (from) (=tell someone in authority that someone or something is lost or stolen): · The man had reported his girlfriend missing three days after she disappeared.
if something is lost , no-one knows where it is: · I've looked everywhere for the car keys. I think they must be lost.· Divers are searching for the plane's lost flight recorder.get lost: · You haven't gotten my letter yet? It must have gotten lost in the mail.
if something or someone disappears , they cannot be found and you think they may have been stolen or may be in danger: · I thought I had a copy of the notes, but they seem to have disappeared somewhere.· The parents of an art student who disappeared in the middle of his exams have made an emotional plea for him to come home.disappear from: · The letter had mysteriously disappeared from the file overnight.
if someone or something is nowhere to be seen or nowhere to be found , you have looked everywhere for them but still cannot find them: · Our tour guide was nowhere to be seen, so we set off to explore the city alone.· She'd looked everywhere for her glasses, but they were nowhere to be found.
to not be there · She says the bottle is in the cupboard, but it just isn't there.· He was supposed to wait for me by the fountain, but he wasn't there when I arrived.
if someone or something is not around , they are not there, especially when you expect them to be somewhere nearby: · Maybe you should try talking to Michael when his wife isn't around.· According to Caroline, Larry isn't around much since he started traveling for work.
to be out of your home, the place where you work etc usually for a short time: · He wasn't in, so I left a message.· She told me not to stop by today - she'll be out most of the day running errands.
informal to not be at work, for example, because you are ill or on holiday. In British English you can also use this when someone is not at school: · After I've been away for a few days, there's always so much work waiting when I get back.· Selina's off today? Then can you ask her to phone me when she's back in the office ?be off work/school: · He's been off work ever since he hurt his back in a riding accident.
formal if something is absent , it is not where it is expected to be. If someone is absent from school, work etc, they are not there, for example because they are ill: · The virus develops most quickly when antibodies are absent.· If you're absent more than five times, you fail the course.· While the boss was absent everyone started taking very long lunchbreaks.absent from: · For some reason, Young's name was absent from the list.· The Adkinson children were absent from school about a dozen times last fall.
someone or something that is missing is not there, especially when you expect them to be there: · Some of the puzzle pieces are missing.· Can you spot the missing number in this series?· Suddenly he looked around and realized one of the children was missing.missing from: · Three buttons were missing from his shirt.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY When Lily did not come home, her parents called the police to report her missing.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The plane was reported missing.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
British English The scissors have gone missing again.
The scissors have gone missing again. British English Nearly 100,000 young people go missing in Britain each year.
Nearly 100,000 young people go missing in Britain each year. When Lily did not come home, her parents called the police to report her missing. (=used to say that a soldier has not returned after a battle and their body has not been found)· A further 9,000 allied military personnel are still officially listed as missing in action.
· Two of the buttons on the jacket were missing.
The plane was reported missing.· Two divers were still missing south of St Abbs, and the lifeboat began a search for them.· His father, David Ashworth, is wanted for questioning by murder squad detectives but yesterday he was still missing.· Her father's body was still missing.· Key pieces are, however, still missing.· Bodies still missing after Hercules crash kills nine.· A number of the mounting trays are still missing, especially the ones for the Standard Beam Approach boxes.· Nevertheless, the identity of objects is still missing.· Colin Anderson is still missing through suspension, and more bad news is that Owen Pickard is out injured.
NOUN· It was therefore inadvisable to conduct statistical tests when missing data from some schools distorted the representativeness of the sample.· The addition of subjects with missing data could, however, have changed the picture and made ethnicity a significant variable.· The grey regions indicate either chromosome breaks or missing data.· Comparison of age adjusted and fully adjusted rate ratios, however, were based only on subjects with no missing data.· No special provision is made for missing data.
· A photograph of the missing girl was displayed, looking wholly unlike Derek's single memory of her.· From the local police came the story of the missing girl and boy.· There can not be many missing girls of her class.· So long as there was no hunt for a missing girl they had felt themselves reasonably safe.
· Here the missing link is frequently the directly observed contextual detail which is so crucial in anthropological field work.· I have no doubt it would contain some valuable missing links and insights to the historian.· This is meaningful conversation between missing links took place after a rapid.· This uncharted section was finally penetrated after arduous effort in 1983 and the mystery of the missing link solved.· Where there is a co-ordination problem the issuing of an authoritative directive can supply the missing link in the argument.· Garau was the missing link who sold drugs to both Debbie Maxwell and to the shepherds.· The grid diameter is 100-150m and the facilities involved are very simple paths, bridges and short missing links.· The missing link is the shareholders.
· Presumably the Rolls was the car of the missing man.· To begin with he asked after the whereabouts of each missing man.· Bridget had seen the missing man on a Thursday.· Two days afterwards the body of the missing man was found in the sea without marks of violence.
· First two cases I took were missing persons.· Another missing person to look for, too.· There is an urge to recapture the missing person in some way by hanging on to memories, and treasures.· All this time Bob Southwell had been appraising the place from the point of view of the missing person enquiry.· Most missing person reports do not end in a murder.· It fits nobody on their staff, or on their list of missing persons.· Usually, presenter Jacques Pradel appeals for news of missing persons.· The desk sergeant contacted Superintendent Misty Hayes and a missing person enquiry commenced.
· However, the number of missing words was unacceptably high in the mid-class case. 7.4.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
- Discussion covered procedures for avoiding accidental clashes, disclosing the location of mines, and exchanging information about those missing in action.
- For investors, the realization that inflation remains missing in action is a positive.
- For the past decade, Gabe Kaplan has been missing in action from the entertainment trenches.
- Kip was never finally listed as killed or missing in action.
- Woodson has been missing in action completely since tearing up his knee in the season opener.
WORD FAMILYnounmissadjectivemissingverbmiss
1something that is missing is not in its usual place, so that you cannot find it: We found the missing piece of the jigsaw under the chair. The keys have been missing for ages.missing from Two bottles were missing from the drugs cupboard.go missing British English The scissors have gone missing again.2if part of something is missing, it is no longer attached or has been destroyed: Two of her front teeth were missing. The last page of the diary was missing.missing from There’s a button missing from your shirt.3someone who is missing has disappeared, and no one knows if they are alive or dead: Two crew members survived, but two are still missing.go missing British English Nearly 100,000 young people go missing in Britain each year. When Lily did not come home, her parents called the police to report her missing.4not present or not included in somethingmissing from Why is my name missing from the list? Something was missing from her life.5missing in action a soldier who is missing in action has not returned after a battle and their body has not been found