Meaning & use
missing an opportunity
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiom
Failing to take advantage of a chance to do something good or useful.
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase; often followed by 'to' + verb, e.g., 'missing an opportunity to learn'.
Patterns
- miss an opportunity to do something
- miss an opportunity for something
- be guilty of missing an opportunity
By not applying for the scholarship, she is missing an opportunity to study abroad.
The company is missing an opportunity to attract younger customers.
He missed an opportunity to apologize and now she won't talk to him.
Common combinations
- miss an opportunity to learn
- If you don't ask questions, you're missing an opportunity to learn.
- miss a golden opportunity
- He missed a golden opportunity to invest in the startup.
- miss an opportunity for growth
- The team is missing an opportunity for growth by not trying new methods.
Synonyms and how they differ
- let something slip
- This is more informal and suggests losing something by not acting quickly; 'missing an opportunity' is neutral.
- pass up
- Pass up often implies a deliberate choice to refuse; missing an opportunity can be accidental.
Opposites
Commonly confused: missing an opportunity or losing an opportunity?
missing an opportunity vs losing an opportunity
Losing suggests the opportunity is gone forever; missing can also mean you simply didn't take it when you could have.
Practice
Complete the sentence: 'She regretted ___ the chance to work abroad.'
Choose one answer.
After 'regret', we use the -ing form if the action already happened: 'regretted missing'. 'Missed' is past tense and would need a different structure, like 'regretted that she missed'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “missing an opportunity”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.