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British

calling

[ kaw-ling ]

/ ˈkɔ lɪŋ /

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See synonyms for calling on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act of a person or thing that calls.

vocation, profession, or trade: What is your calling?

a call or summons: He had a calling to join the church.

a strong impulse or inclination: She did it in response to an inner calling.

a convocation: the calling of Congress.

SYNONYMS FOR calling

2 mission, province, forte, specialty, field.

See synonyms for calling on Thesaurus.com

VIDEO FOR CALLING

WATCH NOW: What Does The Word "Calling" Actually Mean?

It's probably wise to listen to our callings. Sometimes they're loud—like someone calling our name—or sometimes they're much more subtle, like that little voice in our head telling us “this is what we’re meant to do.”

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QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!

Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!

Question 1 of 7

Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?

First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.

First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.

First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of calling

Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at call, -ing¹

Words nearby calling

Callicrates, calligraph, calligraphy, Callimachus, call-in, calling, calling card, call-in pay, call in question, call in sick, calliope

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for calling

It quickly became the family’s top moneymaker, and Peter Carlino sensed he’d found his calling.
Valuation: Casino stocks got clobbered by COVID-19. This one is now an attractive bet|matthewheimer|October 18, 2020|Fortune
Here you have a guy whose calling card is consistency working for a guy whose calling card is inconsistency.
Robert Lighthizer Blew Up 60 Years of Trade Policy. Nobody Knows What Happens Next.|by Lydia DePillis|October 13, 2020|ProPublica
With Portal support, Zoom users will be able to host a video call with up to 25 people on the screen, while leveraging the device’s high-fidelity sound and its AI-powered Smart Camera for hands-free calling, says Facebook.
Facebook’s Portal adds support for Netflix, Zoom and other features|Sarah Perez|October 6, 2020|TechCrunch
Hall "has set up terminals in areas that were burned severely to provide evacuated families with wireless calling and Internet access to file insurance claims," CNBC wrote.
SpaceX Starlink brings Internet to emergency responders in wildfire areas|Jon Brodkin|September 30, 2020|Ars Technica

After months of calling, writing, and protesting, the city’s restaurant owners finally have an outdoor dining plan
Outdoor Dining Is Now a Permanent NYC Fixture, Mayor Announces|Luke Fortney|September 25, 2020|Eater
However much we gossip about heterosexual couples with large age gaps, we at least refrain from calling them sex offenders.
Freaking Out About Age Gaps in Gay Relationships Is Homophobic|Samantha Allen|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Between 25 and 30, you’re trying to decide how much longer before you start growing a beard and calling yourself ‘Daddy.
Freaking Out About Age Gaps in Gay Relationships Is Homophobic|Samantha Allen|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The last band I was in was kind of a Sonic Youth rip-off band, and I thought that that was my calling.
Deer Tick's John McCauley on Ten Years in Rock and Roll|James Joiner|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Reviews have been outstanding, with many film critics calling it one of the best films of the year.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He might even stand up for these rookies he was now calling children of God.
Cop Families Boo De Blasio at NYPD Graduation|Michael Daly|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Outsiders lack adequate motives for sending the notes home; issuers lack adequate motives for calling them home.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
Uncle Harry took him for walks and consoled him with rough tenderness, never calling him Black Sheep.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
Do not heed the Governor-Generalʼs decree, calling you to arms, even though it cost you your lives.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
The French adopt the same derivation, calling it "asbeste" (minèral filamenteux et incombustible).
Asbestos|Robert H. Jones
You can then test yourself on the work by calling to mind whatever you have thus cemented together.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)

British Dictionary definitions for calling

calling

/ (ˈkɔːlɪŋ) /

noun

a strong inner urge to follow an occupation, etc; vocation

an occupation, profession, or trade

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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