give something a miss
give something a miss — idiom
1. to decide not to go to an event, not to take part in an activity, or not to use
to decide not to go to an event, not to take part in an activity, or not to use something that you would normally do or use, especially because you do not want to or because it is inconvenient.
Kwame decided to give the staff party a miss because he felt completely exhausted.
collocation: decide to give [something] a miss
Mei-Ling had a bad headache, so she gave the morning lecture a miss.
pattern: give + [noun phrase] + a miss
The queue for the ride was two hours long, so Diego gave it a miss.
pronoun placement: give + it + a miss
Ananya usually goes to yoga on Tuesdays, but gave it a miss this week.
present tense contrast: usually ... but + idiom
'I think I'll give dessert a miss,' said Soren, patting his full stomach.
collocation: think I'll give [something] a miss
- decide to give something a miss
- think I'll give it a miss
- can give it a miss
- might give something a miss
- give the party / meeting / lecture / film a miss
- give dessert / breakfast / lunch a miss
- skip
neutral, common in both British and American English ('I skipped the party')
- give something a pass
American English equivalent, slightly more formal ('I gave the meeting a pass')
- steer clear of
more about avoiding a person, place, or thing that you consider unpleasant or risky ('I steered clear of the buffet')
Grammar Patterns
give + [something] + a miss
give + [pronoun] + a miss
Usage Note
This is a British English idiom used mainly in informal conversation. The thing you avoid is placed between 'give' and 'a miss': give + thing + a miss. With a pronoun, the structure is 'give it/them a miss' — do NOT say 'give a miss to it'. Common with modal verbs such as 'will', 'might', 'can', and with 'decide to'.