What does ‘Miss’ mean?

Miss is a title used before a girl’s or an unmarried woman’s name (e.g., ‘Miss Saint’). It shouldn’t be used for a married woman. For older unmarried women, ‘Ms’ (pronounced [miz]) is often used instead, since ‘Miss’ normally has a connotation of youth.

Unlike other similar titles, ‘Miss’ cannot be abbreviated but is written out in full.

The word ‘miss’ (not capitalised) can also be used as a verb or noun with various meanings related to a failure to hit something or to feeling the absence of someone or something. These meanings are unrelated to its use as a title.