missing someone

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "missing someone" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when expressing feelings of longing or sadness due to someone's absence. Example: "I’ve been missing someone special since they moved away." Alternative expressions include "longing for someone," "yearning for someone," and "thinking of someone."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

You overlooked missing someone to talk with.

The New York Times

She elaborated later, "You just have to accept that you're always going to be missing someone.

The New Yorker

The subject matter is the heartbreak of life, and in just about every story, someone is missing someone.

The Guardian - Books

"I went into the information centre and told them I myself was missing someone, an Eva Löwenthal".

The Guardian

We're missing someone to lead but, at the same time, we shouldn't depend on finding an ideal leader too much.

The Guardian

Missing someone who's not coming back in "Far Away," she also reproaches that "I played by the rules, you played by the game".

The New York Times - Arts

It shouldn't have high rates of false positives (diagnosing someone without the condition) or false negatives (missing someone who does have it).

The Guardian - Lifestyle

(Her album is also missing someone - the hilarious Nan You're a Window Shopper couldn't be included owing to sample clearance issues).

The Guardian - Music

As the novel cleverly puts characters in situations testing the limits of what humans can bear, it most memorably captures the heartache of missing someone.

The Guardian - Books

Kerry would go 20 passes without missing someone, just throwing it with that slingshot passing motion, every one zinged in there.

The New York Times - Sports

Probably because of anxiety about citing others' work properly, not missing someone out and general anxiety about the quality of the writing.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In investigative or medical contexts, clarify whether the phrase refers to emotional longing or a physical failure to identify a person

Common error

Avoid using the phrase in a way that confuses emotional distress with diagnostic failure. In clinical studies, specify 'failing to diagnose' rather than simply 'missing someone' to prevent confusion with bereavement.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "missing someone" primarily functions as a gerund phrase or participial phrase. In the examples provided by Ludwig, it often serves as the object of a verb or a preposition (e.g., "the heartache of missing someone"). According to Ludwig AI, it follows standard English conventions for expressing transitive action where the object is an indefinite person.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

55%

Wiki

25%

Science

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Reference

3%

Encyclopedias

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "missing someone" is a versatile and correct English phrase used extensively to describe both emotional longing and physical absence. Ludwig AI indicates that it is a very common expression found in high-quality sources like The New York Times and The Guardian. While it is most frequently used to express the heartache of loss, it also has specialized applications in scientific literature to describe diagnostic oversights. Writers should use it freely in most contexts, though more specific alternatives like "<a href="/s/longing+for+someone" target="_blank" rel="alternative">longing for someone" can provide greater emotional nuance in creative writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

missing somebody

Uses a slightly more informal pronoun while maintaining the exact same meaning

longing for someone

Suggests a much deeper and more persistent emotional desire

feeling someone's absence

Focuses on the void left behind rather than the act of missing

yearning for someone

Conveys a more poetic or intense romantic craving

missing anyone

Uses an indefinite pronoun often used in questions or negative statements

aching for someone

Emphasizes the physical or visceral pain associated with the absence

wanting someone here

A more direct and literal way to express the desire for presence

missing an individual

A highly formal or technical variation used in clinical or investigative contexts

thinking of someone

A gentler and less intense way to describe mental focus on an absent person

losing someone

Often implies a permanent absence, such as death or a permanent breakup

FAQs

How do I use "missing someone" in a sentence?

You can use it as a subject or object, such as "missing someone is a heavy burden" or "I am missing someone special".

What can I say instead of "missing someone"?

You can use alternatives like "<a href="/s/longing+for+someone" target="_blank" rel="alternative">longing for someone", "<a href="/s/feeling+someone's+absence" target="_blank" rel="alternative">feeling someone's absence" or "<a href="/s/missing+somebody" target="_blank" rel="alternative">missing somebody" depending on the level of formality.

Is it "missing someone" or "missing somebody"?

Both are grammatically correct and interchangeable. "Somebody" is slightly more informal, while "someone" is more common in written prose.

What's the difference between "missing someone" and "missing out"?

The phrase "missing someone" refers to the absence of a person, while "<a href="/s/missing+out" target="_blank" rel="alternative">missing out" refers to failing to participate in an event or opportunity.