ms
gb/mˈɪz/ us/mˈɪz/
B1
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
role
1
title for a woman
A polite title for a woman, like Mr. for a man.
Usage pattern:
Ms. [surname]
Common mistake:
Don’t confuse Ms. (often pronounced “miz”) with Miss (usually for girls/unmarried women) or Mrs. (usually for married women).
Collocations
Ms. Smith
|Ms. Johnson
|Dear Ms. Brown
|Ms. + last name
|address someone as Ms.
|call her Ms.
|use Ms. in an email
|Ms. in a letter
Themes
people
|communication
|writing
Examples
- Please ask Ms. Patel to review the document.
- Dear Ms. Johnson, thank you for your application.
- She prefers to be addressed as Ms. rather than Mrs.
Learner examples
- Ms. Lee is my teacher.
- I wrote an email to Ms. Davis.
Noun
technical
B2
quantity
2
one thousandth of a second
A very small unit of time: 0.001 seconds.
Usage pattern:
[number] ms
Common mistake:
Don’t confuse ms (milliseconds) with m/s (meters per second).
Synonyms
millisecond (The full word; ms is the abbreviation.)
Collocations
10 ms
|200 ms
|a few ms
|response time (in ms)
|latency (in ms)
|delay of 50 ms
|measured in ms
|ms-level precision
|milliseconds (ms)
|ping in ms
Themes
technology
|science
|time
Examples
- The page loaded in 180 ms on my phone.
- Even a 30 ms delay can affect online gaming.
- The sensor records changes every 5 ms.
Learner examples
- The delay was 20 ms.
- It loads in 300 ms.
Noun
technical
C1
state
3
a neurological autoimmune disease
A serious illness that affects the nerves and can cause many different symptoms.
Usage pattern:
have MS
Synonyms
multiple sclerosis (The full medical name; MS is the abbreviation.)
Collocations
diagnosed with MS
|living with MS
|MS symptoms
|MS treatment
|MS medication
|MS flare-up
|MS relapse
|MS specialist
|progressive MS
|relapsing-remitting MS
Themes
health
|medicine
Examples
- He was diagnosed with MS in his late twenties.
- MS can cause fatigue, numbness, and problems with balance.
- New treatments have improved outcomes for many people with MS.
Learner examples
- My aunt has MS.
- She is getting treatment for MS.
Noun
business
B1
entity
4
Microsoft (company abbreviation)
Short for Microsoft.
Usage pattern:
MS [product/name]
Common mistake:
MS can also mean multiple sclerosis, milliseconds, Mississippi, or Master of Science; use context.
Synonyms
Microsoft (The full company name.)
Collocations
MS software
|MS products
|MS account
|MS support
|MS ecosystem
|MS licensing
|MS tools
|MS platform
Themes
technology
|business
Examples
- Our company uses MS tools for email and scheduling.
- The report compares MS and Google cloud services.
- She worked at MS for five years.
Learner examples
- MS makes computer software.
- I use MS programs at work.
Noun
B1
entity
5
Mississippi (US abbreviation)
Short for Mississippi (a US state).
Usage pattern:
[city], MS
Synonyms
Mississippi (The full state name.)
Collocations
Jackson, MS
|Gulfport, MS
|MS residents
|MS governor
|MS license plate
|MS voter registration
|in MS
|MS state
Themes
geography
|travel
|government
Examples
- Send the package to Oxford, MS 38655.
- She grew up in Biloxi, MS.
- The storm caused damage across MS.
Learner examples
- He lives in Jackson, MS.
- MS is a state in the USA.
Noun
formal
B2
entity
6
Master of Science degree
A university degree you can get after a bachelor’s degree.
Usage pattern:
an MS in [field]
Common mistake:
MS (Master of Science) can be confused with 'Ms.' (a title) and other meanings; capitalization and context matter.
Synonyms
Master of Science (The full degree name.)
Collocations
MS degree
|MS program
|MS student
|MS thesis
|earn an MS
|pursue an MS
|an MS in computer science
|an MS in engineering
|MS graduate
|apply for an MS
Themes
education
|work
Examples
- She completed an MS in data science last year.
- The job posting prefers candidates with an MS degree.
- He’s applying to an MS program in electrical engineering.
Learner examples
- I want to get an MS.
- She has an MS in biology.
Noun
formal
C1
entity
7
manuscript (abbreviation)
Short for manuscript: a text before it is published.
Usage pattern:
the ms
Synonyms
manuscript (The full word; ms/MS is the abbreviation.)
Collocations
submit the ms
|revise the ms
|the final ms
|an unpublished ms
|the original ms
|a medieval MS
|MS collection
|MS pages
|ms. reading
|annotated ms
Themes
writing
|publishing
|education
Examples
- The editor asked her to cut 5,000 words from the ms.
- The library owns a 14th-century MS with illustrations.
- After months of revisions, he finally submitted the ms.
Learner examples
- I sent my ms to the publisher.
- The ms is not finished.
Grammar
Expressions
[city], ms
1/sˈɪti | mˈɪz/
fixed phrase
address format for Mississippi
A US address format meaning the city is in Mississippi.
Examples
- Mail it to Tupelo, MS 38801.
- The conference will be held in Hattiesburg, MS.
- Her return address says Meridian, MS.
an ms in [field]
1/ən mˈɪz ˈɪn fˈild/
fixed phrase
formal
Master of Science qualification
A Master of Science degree in a subject.
Examples
- She has an MS in mechanical engineering.
- He’s working toward an MS in cybersecurity.
- Many roles prefer candidates with an MS in statistics.
dear ms. [surname]
1/dˈɪɹ mˈɪs sˈɚnˌeɪm/
fixed phrase
formal
formal greeting in writing
A polite way to start an email to a woman.
Examples
- Dear Ms. Chen, I’m writing to confirm our appointment.
- Dear Ms. Robinson, thank you for your time and consideration.
- Dear Ms. Ahmed, please find the requested documents attached.
in [number] ms
1/ˈɪn nˈʌmbɚ mˈɪz/
fixed phrase
technical
time measured in milliseconds
Used to say a time in milliseconds.
Examples
- The server responded in 95 ms.
- The animation completes in 300 ms.
- On this network, requests often finish in under 50 ms.
ms office
1/mˈɪz ˈɔfɪs/
fixed phrase
Microsoft productivity suite
Examples
- Our team uses MS Office for most documents.
- You’ll need MS Office to edit the spreadsheet easily.
- MS Office is included with the company laptop.
ms windows
1/mˈɪz wˈɪndoʊz/
fixed phrase
Microsoft operating system
Examples
- This software only runs on MS Windows.
- He upgraded his laptop to the latest version of MS Windows.
- The printer drivers are available for MS Windows and macOS.
ms word
1/mˈɪz wˈɚd/
fixed phrase
Microsoft word processor
Examples
- I wrote the report in MS Word.
- The template opens automatically in MS Word.
- Please send the file as an MS Word document.