: 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 inactiveThe Pilot (Southern Pines, North Carolina)Anna Kournikova has been MIA since last month as the result of a stress fracture in her left foot.—Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated… considered everything that could go wrong on her wedding day—lousy weather, droopy centerpieces, an MIA photographer …—Jason Lynch
Jason LynchJohn 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
Stephen Rebello
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
David SearsA voice from somewhere in the mess hall: "A toast to the POWs and MIAs!"—Jayne Hendel
Jayne Hendel… a metal dog tag imprinted with the names of four Israeli MIA's …—Yossi Klein Halevi
Yossi Klein HaleviExamples of MIA in a Sentence
Noun
The fate of most MIAs in the war is still not known.
Recent Examples on the WebJuliana Kim, NPR, 30 Mar. 2024
In 2018, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), a military agency that aims to provide a full accounting for American missing personnel, announced a plan to disinter the remains of 652 unidentified service members from the Korean War.
—CBS News, 15 Mar. 2024
Walking through the front gates of the POW camp, Egan begins to recognize the familiar faces of his fellow Hundredth bomb group men who have also been MIA.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 23 Feb. 2024
Both Lilith and Lucifer are now MIA, but Hell still has to endure annual assaults from Heaven to keep its potential power in check.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 18 Jan. 2024
Noun
Officials announced on Thursday that Walker's remains were finally accounted for, thanks to scientists at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) whose mission is to recover and return missing service members from past conflicts.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 30 Mar. 2024
In 2018, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), a military agency that aims to provide a full accounting for American missing personnel, announced a plan to disinter the remains of 652 unidentified service members from the Korean War.
—CBS News, 15 Mar. 2024
Walking through the front gates of the POW camp, Egan begins to recognize the familiar faces of his fellow Hundredth bomb group men who have also been MIA.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 23 Feb. 2024
Both Lilith and Lucifer are now MIA, but Hell still has to endure annual assaults from Heaven to keep its potential power in check.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 18 Jan. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near MIA
Cite this Entry
“MIA.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/MIA. Accessed 16 May. 2024.
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