mission

[ mish-uhn ]

/ ˈmɪʃ ən /

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noun

a group or committee of persons sent to a foreign country to conduct negotiations, establish relations, provide scientific and technical assistance, or the like.

the business with which such a group is charged.

any important task or duty that is assigned, allotted, or self-imposed:Our mission is to find the child a safe home.

an important goal or purpose that is accompanied by strong conviction; a calling or vocation: She has finally found her mission in life.

a sending or being sent for some duty or purpose.

those sent.

Also called foreign mission . a permanent diplomatic establishment abroad; embassy; legation.

Military. an operational task, usually assigned by a higher headquarters: a mission to bomb the bridge.

Aerospace. an operation designed to carry out the goals of a specific program: a space mission.

Also called foreign mission . a group of persons sent by a church to carry on religious work, especially evangelization in foreign lands, and often to establish schools, hospitals, etc.

an establishment of missionaries in a foreign land; a missionary church or station.

a similar establishment in any region.

the district assigned to a missionary.

missionary duty or work.

an organization for carrying on missionary work.

Also called rescue mission. a shelter operated by a church or other organization offering food, lodging, and other assistance to needy persons.

missions, organized missionary work or activities in any country or region.

a church or a region dependent on a larger church or denomination.

a series of special religious services for increasing religious devotion and converting unbelievers: to preach a mission.

adjective

of or relating to a mission.

(usually initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to a style of American furniture of the early 20th century, created in supposed imitation of the furnishings of the Spanish missions of California and characterized by the use of dark, stained wood, by heaviness, and by extreme plainness.

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Origin of mission

1590–1600; 1925–30 for def. 8; <Latin missiōn- (stem of missiō) a sending off, equivalent to miss(us) (past participle of mittere to send) + -iōn--ion

OTHER WORDS FROM mission

mis·sion·al, adjective

Other definitions for mission (2 of 2)

Mission

[ mish-uhn ]

/ ˈmɪʃ ən /

noun

a city in S Texas.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mission in a sentence

This may go some way to explaining why Glenn’s first spaceflight grabbed national attention in a way the two American missions preceding his did not.
Another look at John Glenn through a heroic lens|Francis French|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Friday’s mission shows the company can get the booster back down to Earth in one piece.
Rocket Lab has successfully recovered a booster for the first time|Neel Patel|November 20, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Founded by two Stanford University graduates, Robinhood declares on its website that it is “on a mission to democratize finance for all.”
Robinhood asks banks to pitch for potential 2021 IPO|Lee Clifford|November 18, 2020|Fortune
Yet the Crew-1 mission is also a sign of how much the space industry has changed since the first shuttle took off.
SpaceX and NASA officially flew people into space. What’s next?|Charlie Wood|November 18, 2020|Popular-Science

Four astronauts are cruising to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX capsule in the company’s first regular NASA mission to the International Space Station.
Why SpaceX’s Sunday launch represents a milestone|Claire Zillman, reporter|November 16, 2020|Fortune

British Dictionary definitions for mission

mission

/ (ˈmɪʃən) /

noun

a specific task or duty assigned to a person or group of peopletheir mission was to irrigate the desert

a person's vocation (often in the phrase mission in life)

a group of persons representing or working for a particular country, business, etc, in a foreign country

a special embassy sent to a foreign country for a specific purpose
US a permanent legation

a group of people sent by a religious body, esp a Christian church, to a foreign country to do religious and social work
the campaign undertaken by such a group

the work or calling of a missionary
a building or group of buildings in which missionary work is performed
the area assigned to a particular missionary

the dispatch of aircraft or spacecraft to achieve a particular task

a church or chapel that has no incumbent of its own

a charitable centre that offers shelter, aid, or advice to the destitute or underprivileged

(modifier) of or relating to an ecclesiastical missiona mission station

Southern African a long and difficult process

(modifier) US (of furniture) in the style of the early Spanish missions of the southwestern US

verb

(tr) to direct a mission to or establish a mission in (a given region)

Word Origin for mission

C16: from Latin missiō, from mittere to send

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

mission

Origin of mission

OTHER WORDS FROM mission

Other definitions for mission (2 of 2)

Words related to mission

How to use mission in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mission

Word Origin for mission