: missing in action
He was a U.S. Army veteran of Vietnam, where he was reported MIA for a period of time.The Pilot (Southern Pines, North Carolina)
often used figuratively for someone or something notably or unexpectedly missing, absent, or inactive
Anna Kournikova has been MIA since last month as the result of a stress fracture in her left foot.Sports Illustrated
… considered everything that could go wrong on her wedding day—lousy weather, droopy centerpieces, an MIA photographer …Jason Lynch
John Hurt … had critics and audiences marking him as a major new filmmaker. Then he went MIA [=he disappeared; he was not heard from] for five years …Stephen Rebello

MIA

2 of 2

noun

plural MIAs also MIA's
: a member of the armed forces reported to be missing in action
Today, despite advances in casualty accounting, unanswered questions still torment many families of MIAs.David Sears
A voice from somewhere in the mess hall: "A toast to the POWs and MIAs!"Jayne Hendel
… a metal dog tag imprinted with the names of four Israeli MIA'sYossi Klein Halevi

Examples of MIA in a Sentence

Noun The fate of most MIAs in the war is still not known.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
With the tenth edition of MIA in equal parts a rumination on the creative endeavors, the business of film and TV, and the state of the local industry, Owen’s appearance was warmly received by a knowledgable audience. Max Goldbart, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2024 The show was among a quartet of projects taking part in MIA’s Co-Production Market and Pitching Forum to be awarded by juries of international industry professionals. Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 18 Oct. 2024 The project participated at the 2022 MIA Market in Rome, the 2022 Tokyo Gap-Financing Market and the 2020 Taipei Golden Horse FPP Project Market. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Oct. 2024 None On the web For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency website at www.dpaa.mil. Nwa Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 4 Oct. 2024 Dominik Szot, executive coach focused on leaders' legacy, servant leader, global entrepreneur, founder/CEO of MIA, agile management mentor. Dominik Szot, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024 Their actions reshaped how the U.S. handles POW/MIA cases, ensuring that no soldier is left behind. Heather Wishart-Smith, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024 The expansive space, which will span almost 13,000 square feet once complete, will be located on the fourth floor of MIA’s Concourse E satellite terminal. Stella Shon, Travel + Leisure, 19 Sep. 2024 The witch’s magic is still MIA, but her attitude is well and truly back. Alison Herman, Variety, 19 Sep. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'MIA.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

missing in action

First Known Use

Adjective

1946, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1944, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of MIA was in 1944

Dictionary Entries Near MIA

Cite this Entry

“MIA.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/MIA. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

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