mis·sile /'misaill'misəl/ n 1 an explosive flying weapon with its own engine, which can be aimed at a distant object: a nuclear missile | a missile base → see also GUIDED MISSILE, ICBM 2 fml an object thrown as a weapon: The angry football fans threw bottles and other missiles at each other.
missing /ˈmɪsɪŋ/ adj 1 that cannot be found; not in the proper or expected place; lost: Some important figures are missing from this report. | He has a finger missing from his left hand. 2 [F] (of a soldier, fighting vehicle etc) not returning after a battle, and therefore considered killed, destroyed etc: Seven of our planes are missing. | He was reported missing in action. → see also MIA
missing 'link n 1 [C] a fact that must be found in order to complete an argument, a proof etc 2 [the] often humor an animal halfway in the development of humans from monkey-like creatures, supposed to have existed long ago but never proved to have done so: I've just met my new brother-in-law and I think he's the missing link.
missing 'person n a person who has been reported lost to the police: Hundreds of missing persons are reported to the police every week.  $ \mid $ the Missing Persons Bureau
mis-sion /ˈmɪʃən/ n 1 the usually military duty or purpose for which people are sent somewhere: A party of soldiers was landed secretly on the coast; their mission was to blow up the radio station. | a bombing mission | The astronauts reported the breakdown to mission control. (=the people controlling the space flight) | Mission accomplished! (=I have done what I was sent to do.) 2 the particular work which one believes it is one's duty to do: [+to-v] She felt that her mission in life was to help old people. 3 [+sing./pl. v] a group of people sent abroad for a special reason, especially to act for their country: The British trade mission has just reached St Petersburg. 4 a place run by a religious organization where medical services, teaching etc are provided for the local people: They come to the mission from many miles around to see the doctor. 5 mission of mercy an activity in which people are sent to help people in great need: They went on a mission of mercy to feed starving children in Ethiopia.
mis·sion·a·ry /'mɪʃənərɪl-neri/ n a person who is sent, usually to a foreign country, to teach and spread religion, usually the Christian religion: She spent twenty years in East Africa as a missionary.
CULTURAL NOTE In the past, Christian missionaries were often EXPLORERS and they were sometimes the first Europeans that people in many parts of the world had ever seen. They were greatly admired for being brave and morally good, and for helping people to learn about Christianity. But today, many people criticize what missionaries did, because they encouraged people to give up their traditional religious beliefs and social practices. Sometimes, they encouraged people to do things in a more European way, for example to dress in Western clothes and cover their bodies, even if they lived in a hot country.
'missionary po,sition, the the sexual position in which the woman lies on her back with the man above and facing her (supposed to have been taught to PRIMITIVE peoples by missionaries, who said it was the only correct position)
,missionary 'zeal n [U] an eagerness to do something one believes to be important; from the idea that missionaries work very hard to persuade people to believe in Christianity: He worked with missionary zeal on the project to clean up the river.
'mission, creep n [U] AmE a series of gradual changes in the aim of a group of people, with the result that they do something different from what they planned to do at the beginning
Mission Im'possible a US television programme from the 1960s and 1970s about a group of people who did secret work for the US government. Each show began with the words 'Your mission, should you decide to accept it...' recorded on a tape which destroyed itself after it was played.
'mission statement n a clear statement about the aims of a company or organisation
mis·sis /'misʒz/ n Missus
Mis•sis•sip•pi /,mis₅¹'sipi₄ / 1 written abbrev. MS a state in the southeastern US, now an industrial area but formerly producing a lot of cotton, and an important centre of the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT in the 1950s and 1960s → see also DEEP SOUTH 2 the Mississippi the longest river in the US, about 2350 miles long, which flows from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico
mis-sive /'misiv/ n humor or pomp a letter, especially a long one
Mis·sou·ri /mʃˈsuəri, -ˈzuəri/ 1 written abbrev. MO a state in the central US, an industrial and farming area 2 the Missouri a long river in the US, flowing from the ROCKY MOUNTAINS to join the MISSISSIPPI at St Louis
mis·spell /,mis'spel/ v -spelt /'spelt⁴/ or -spelled [T] to spell wrongly ︷ing n [C;U]
mis·spend /,mis'spend/ v -spent /'spent/ [T] to spend (time, money etc) wrongly or unwisely; waste: his misspent youth
Miss 'Piggy trademark a PUPPET in the form of a pig with long BLOND hair who appears in the television programme THE MUPPETS. She thinks that she is very beautiful and expects everyone to admire her, and she gets angry if the other characters do not do what she wants.
mis·state /,mis'steit/ v [T] to state (a fact, argument etc) wrongly or falsely, especially in order to deceive —-ment n [C;U] several misstatements about the cost of the new aircraft
Miss 'Universe' trademark a US competition in which young women from different countries compete to be judged the most beautiful and to win the title "Miss Universe". They have to answer questions about themselves, appear in a swimming costume, and appear in a special dress. Some people disapprove of the competition and think that it is SEXIST. → compare MISS WORLD, MR UNIVERSE
mis·sus, missis /'misʒz/ n infml or humor rather old-fash (with the, his, your etc) a person's wife: The missus will be angry if I'm home late. | How's your missus?
Miss 'World trademark a competition in which young women from different countries compete to be judged the most beautiful and to win the title "Miss World". They have to answer questions about themselves, appear in a swimming costume, and appear in a special dress. The competition used to be always held in Britain but now it is regularly held in different countries. Some people disapprove of the competition and think that it is SEXIST. → compare MISS UNIVERSE, MR UNIVERSE
miss·y /ˈmɪsɪ/ n infml now rare (used as a friendly way of addressing a young girl)
Missy El·li·ott /,misi 'eliət/ (1971-) an American HIP HOP singer. Her songs include Get Ur Freak On, The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly), and Work It.
mist¹ /mist/ n 1 [C;U] (an area of) cloudy air near the ground, made up of very small floating drops of water; thin FOG: The mountain top was covered in mist. | (fig.) a secret hidden in the mists of the past/lost in the mists of time (=a time so long ago that it had been forgotten) → see also SCOTCH MIST 2 [S;U] a thin covering of small drops of water, through which it is hard to see: She could hardly recognize her son through the mist of tears that filled her eyes. → see also MISTY
mist² v [I;T(OVER, UP)] to (cause to) become covered with mist; Their breath misted up the windows. | Her eyes misted over. → see also DEMIST
mis·take¹ /mr'steik/ v -took /mr'stuk/, -taken /-'steikən/ [T] 1 to have a wrong idea about; MISUNDERSTAND: He'd mistaken the address, and gone to the wrong house. | She mistook my meaning entirely. 2 to fail to recognize: You can't mistake his car; he's painted it bright red and yellow. There's no mistaking his car (=it is always recognizable) → see also UNMISTAKABLE
mistake sbdy./sthg. for sbdy./sthg. phr v [T] to think wrongly that (a person or thing) is (someone or something else): They mistook him for his brother. | Don't mistake his silence for lack of interest.
mistake² n [C;U] something done wrongly, or something that should not have been done: You've made several spelling mistakes. | It was a mistake to tell him. | She put salt into her tea by mistake. | There must be some mistake in this bill; could you add it up again? | (BrE) He's an odd character and no mistake! (=he's certainly very odd) | If we don't finish the job