Search from various English teachers...
Robert Leko
Went/Gone Missing
Hey everyone!
Can this idiom be used in connection with objects(car, bicycle...) or solely with persons and other living beings?
I have heard the expression 'my car is gone' being said however, have not heard 'his car has gone missing'. Whereas in the news we can hear occasionally 'she went missing ten days ago'.
Thank you!
Jan 23, 2017 7:35 PM
Answers · 9
1
Yes, you can certainly use 'go missing' with objects.
If you say 'The diamond ring went missing', it means that it 'disappeared' ( and the implication is that it was probably stolen). Einstein's brain also went missing.
And just a bit of language trivia - this expression is one of the very few which American English has adopted from British English in fairly recent years. The vast majority of language influence has been in the opposite direction for the last century, but 'go missing' is a rare exception.
January 23, 2017
To go missing usually means that someone (or an animal) has disappeared (like kidnapping or death). Gone can also be used but it will be "has gone missing" or "had gone missing". I would think it's more common to say disappear when talking about an object. Either way, I've seen "went missing" applied to objects but it sounds weird, just remember that "missing" is to be taken as an adjective in this situation (the state of the person/object is "missing").
January 23, 2017
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!
Robert Leko
Language Skills
English, Hungarian, Serbian
Learning Language
English
Articles You May Also Like

Same Word, Different Meaning: American, British, and South African English
12 likes · 11 Comments

How to Sound Confident in English (Even When You’re Nervous)
13 likes · 11 Comments

Marketing Vocabulary and Phrases for Business English Learners
10 likes · 6 Comments
More articles