vocation

American  

[voh-key-shuhn] / voʊˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. a particular occupation, business, or profession; calling.

   Synonyms:

   pursuit, employment

2. a strong impulse or inclination to follow a particular activity or career.

3. a divine call to God's service or to the Christian life.

4. a function or station in life to which one is called by God.

   the religious vocation; the vocation of marriage.

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vocation British  

/ vəʊˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. a specified occupation, profession, or trade

2. 1. a special urge, inclination, or predisposition to a particular calling or career, esp a religious one

   2. such a calling or career

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Etymology

Origin of vocation

1400–50; late Middle English vocacio ( u ) n < Latin vocātiōn- (stem of vocātiō ) a call, summons, equivalent to vocāt ( us ) past participle of vocāre to call ( -ate ¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

“More of an electrician. It was a hobby that became a vocation once I turned fifteen and the war began.”

From Literature

"I'm lucky I have a partner that has helped me battle these demons, but I never thought a vocation - something I love - would push me to this."

From BBC

The young person finds a vocation and maybe a mate.

From The Wall Street Journal

The author quotes, perhaps more than is strictly necessary, from the letters he’s issued to his clients and devotes a pair of chapters to climate change, a concern that has become his late-life vocation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Cobb took to this role as a public educator naturally; teacher wasn’t just her vocation but an essential facet of her personality.

From The Wall Street Journal