Meaning & use
be missed
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
to be felt as a loss; to be wanted or needed because you are not there
Grammar: Passive phrase; often used with 'will' or 'would' to talk about the future, or with 'by' to name who feels the loss.
Patterns
- be missed by someone
- will be missed
- be greatly missed
When she left the team, she was really missed by everyone.
The old bakery closed last year and it is still missed in the neighborhood.
He will be missed for his kindness and his sense of humor.
phrasefixed phrase
to not be noticed or seen, especially when something should have been noticed
Grammar: Often used in the negative: 'not be missed' means people do not notice the absence.
Patterns
- not be missed
- easily be missed
The small error was missed by the proofreader.
His absence at the meeting was not missed by anyone.
Common combinations
- will be missed
- She will be missed when she moves away.
- be greatly missed
- The teacher was greatly missed after he retired.
- be missed by someone
- The dog was missed by the whole family.
- be sadly missed
- He was sadly missed by his colleagues.
Synonyms and how they differ
- be longed for
- Stronger and more emotional; it suggests a deep wish for someone or something to return.
- be wanted
- More general; it can mean you are needed for a task, not necessarily that people feel sad without you.
Word family
Commonly confused: be missed or missing?
be missed vs missing
'Missing' means lost or not able to be found. 'Be missed' means people feel sad because someone or something is gone.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The passive form 'be missed' needs the past participle 'missed' after 'be'. Option B is active and needs an object; option C uses the base form 'miss' instead of the past participle; option D uses 'missing', which means 'lost', not 'felt as a loss'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “be missed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.