calling

American  

[kaw-ling] / ˈkɔ lɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that calls.

2. vocation, profession, or trade.

   What is your calling?

   Synonyms:

   field, specialty, forte, province, mission

3. a call or summons.

   He had a calling to join the church.

4. a strong impulse or inclination.

   She did it in response to an inner calling.

5. a convocation.

   the calling of Congress.

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calling British  

/ ˈkɔːlɪŋ /

noun

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

2. an occupation, profession, or trade

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Etymology

Origin of calling

Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at call, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Trucking executives are calling an end to one of the longest freight downturns in carriers’ memory.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

Department of Veterans Affairs is calling for bids to build fewer than a third of that number with a delivery date seven months later.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

Several of those were claimed by a new group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

Alongside calling for the cancellation of the Zvernec project, protesters also want the scrapping of laws that have allowed the government to fast-track projects -- such as Kushner's other development on nearby Sazan Island.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

This was what he’d taken to calling ‘wolf sense’: the cub’s uncanny knack of sensing his thoughts and moods.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver