Miss out means to lose the chance to enjoy something good while others benefit from it: miss out on a chance, miss out on the fun. The second meaning, mostly British, is to leave something out: miss out a word, miss someone out of the list. FOMO stands for fear of missing out.
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miss out; miss out on + chance/fun/event/-ing; (UK) miss out + word/name; miss + someone + out
- Book your tickets early, or you'll miss out on the student discount.
- I was ill during the school trip and felt I'd really missed out.
- You've missed out a letter in your surname on this form.
What changed
First versionI don't want to miss out the chance to study abroad next year.
RevisionI don't want to miss out on the chance to study abroad next year.
Miss out with a direct object means to leave something out, so dropping on changes the meaning. A missed opportunity is joined with on: miss out on the chance. You can also say it more simply: miss the chance.
Plain miss means to miss something specific: I missed the bus, I missed the lesson. Miss out adds a sense of unfairness: something good passed you by while others got it: Everyone went to the beach, and I missed out.
Your turn
Everyone got free concert tickets except me, so I really ___ on the fun.
Show the answer
missed out — After the gap comes on the fun, which is the pattern miss out on, “to miss the fun”. Nobody says left out on; left out appears in I felt left out, meaning nobody invited you or included you.
Describe an opportunity you missed. Name it and explain why it happened.
Last spring I missed out on a free photography course because I saw the email two days after registration closed.
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