The word miss, meaning "to feel sadness about the absence or loss of something or someone," has been commonly used during the pandemic. Most of us miss our pre-pandemic lifestyle. We all missed a lot of people, things, and events in order to have a better future. Many of us feel like we (or the people we loved) missed out on something important. 

The verb miss can be used before a noun: 

• I miss concerts. 
• I miss my grandparents. 
• I miss restaurant food.

The verb miss can also be used before an -ing verb (gerund). 

• I miss seeing my friends. 
• I miss going to the movies. 
• I miss swimming. 

In some areas, life is starting to get back to normal (or at least a new normal). For the rest of our lives, we will use the verb miss to reflect on this historic period using the past form.

• I missed ninth grade.
• I missed going to hockey.
• I missed traveling. 

Many people feel they missed out on something important during the pandemic. To miss out on something means "to not have the experience one expected or deserved." This multiword verb can be interchanged with missed, but it has a stronger meaning. The experience may never come along again.  

• My son missed out on eighth grade graduation. 
• Her parents missed out on the birth of their grandchild. 
• She missed out on her first year of college.

Note: The acronymn FOMO stands for "fear of missing out" and is commonly used in social media posts.

We can also use miss in a negative form: 

• I don't miss crowds. 
• I don't miss in-person meetings. 
• I don't miss commuting. 

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• What do you miss about pre-pandemic life? 
• What did you miss out on during the pandemic?
• What do you NOT miss about pre-pandemic life?