missed

Missed is the past tense and past participle of the verb miss. It is used to indicate failure to hit or contact something, to fail to notice or understand something, to fail to attend or be present for an event, or to fail to take advantage of a chance. As an adjective, missed can describe something not received or experienced, as in a missed call or a missed opportunity. In sentences with have or had, missed marks completed actions in the past: “I missed the bus,” “They have missed several deadlines.”

Common senses include:

- to fail to hit a target or reach something: “The shot was missed.”

- to fail to notice or understand: “You missed the point.”

- to fail to attend: “She missed the meeting.”

- to fail to take advantage: “He missed his opportunity.”

Grammatical notes:

Miss is transitive (you miss something) and can be intransitive in other contexts (you miss). The past tense is formed by adding -ed. In adjectival use, missed often precedes a noun, as in “missed call” or “missed opportunity.”

Etymology:

The verb miss has long been part of English, with roots in Germanic languages. Its core sense—failing to contact, hit, or experience something—dates to early historical stages of the language and broadened to include noticing, attending, and opportunities over time.

See also: miss, missing, missed call, missed opportunity, miss out.