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• mission
  mission

  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.
• Mission
  Mission

  noun

  a city in S Texas.

mission

¹ American  

[mish-uhn] / ˈmɪʃ ən /

noun

• missions
  plural

1. 

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

2. the business with which such a group is charged.

3. any important task or duty that is assigned, allotted, or self-imposed.

   Our mission is to find the child a safe home.

4. an important goal or purpose that is accompanied by strong conviction; a calling or vocation.

   She has finally found her mission in life.

5. a sending or being sent for some duty or purpose.

6. those sent.

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

8. Military. an operational task, usually assigned by a higher headquarters.

   a mission to bomb the bridge.

9. Aerospace. an operation designed to carry out the goals of a specific program.

   a space mission.

10. 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.

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

12. a similar establishment in any region.

13. the district assigned to a missionary.

14. missionary duty or work.

15. an organization for carrying on missionary work.

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

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

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

19. a series of special religious services for increasing religious devotion and converting unbelievers.

    to preach a mission.

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adjective

1. of or relating to a mission.

2. (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.

Mission ² American  

[mish-uhn] / ˈmɪʃ ən /

noun

1. a city in S Texas.

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mission British  

/ ˈmɪʃən /

noun

1. a specific task or duty assigned to a person or group of people

   their mission was to irrigate the desert

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

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

4. 1. a special embassy sent to a foreign country for a specific purpose

   2. a permanent legation

5. 1. a group of people sent by a religious body, esp a Christian church, to a foreign country to do religious and social work

   2. the campaign undertaken by such a group

6. 1. the work or calling of a missionary

   2. a building or group of buildings in which missionary work is performed

   3. the area assigned to a particular missionary

7. the dispatch of aircraft or spacecraft to achieve a particular task

8. a church or chapel that has no incumbent of its own

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

10. (modifier) of or relating to an ecclesiastical mission

    a mission station

11. a long and difficult process

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

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• missional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• missions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of mission

First recorded in 1590–1600; 1925–30 mission for def. 8; from Latin missiōn-, stem of missiō “dismissal,” literally, “a sending,” equivalent to miss(us) (past participle of mittere “to send”) + -iō -ion

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Explanation

A mission is a special quest, one that involves more effort than, say, a trip to the corner store. If you were to drive all around the state searching garage sales for porcelain cats, you could say you were on a mission. Mission comes from a Latin word that means “to send.” It was first used by Jesuit missionaries who sent members of their order overseas to establish schools and churches. Foreign travel is still associated with the word. When diplomats and humanitarian workers travel abroad, we often refer to those trips as missions.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mission Mission missions

“While my role may be changing, my commitment to the President and the mission never will.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

"While my role may be changing, my commitment to the President and the mission never will."

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Its re-entry marks the end of a mission that greatly exceeded its planned lifespan and helped transform scientists' understanding of some of the universe's most energetic phenomena.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026

It is unclear what, if anything, could prompt these nations to agree to an offensive mission against the Houthis, particularly as the militants continue to threaten shipping in the Red Sea.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

But another part of me knows that we have a new mission we need to accomplish before escaping this place.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

His mother was escorted to the airport by relatives and Dr Erieka Bennett, Head of Mission of the African Diaspora Forum.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Mission Viejo coach Chad Johnson said before kickoff that the game would be decided by explosive plays, and he wanted to limit the opponent’s electric moments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

A State Department spokesman said Wednesday, “We have made clear to the Cuba Mission that this individual is not welcome in the United States, and as a result this individual has left.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The Growth Mission Fund was set up to invest £240m between 2026-27 and 2029-30 in schemes designed to boost job creation and the economic regeneration of local communities.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

She was involved with the new Chinese Methodist Church, and she ran the Chinese Mission School where young Chinatown kids went after regular school to learn to read and write Chinese.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

In 1986, he returned to the United States, where he took charge of vocations and missions for the Augustinians.

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

At least 10 African countries have opened diplomatic missions in the territory in support of Rabat.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

The large Chinese navy is expanding its missions in unprecedented ways and training at a fast tempo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

The effort also supports the broader missions of UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center and UVA's Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology, both of which are working to improve care through new medical discoveries.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026

Even though they were already flying combat missions, he made them drill in high-altitude flying and precision dive-bombing.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

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