mission
mission — noun
1. a specific task officially assigned to an individual or group to carry out in a
a specific task officially assigned to an individual or group to carry out in a particular place, such as a military operation, a space flight, or a diplomatic assignment.
A UN peacekeeping mission was sent to patrol the border between the two countries.
collocation: peacekeeping mission
Layla trained for two years before her first space mission aboard the International Space Station.
The rescue mission reached the stranded hikers just before the storm hit the mountain.
collocation: rescue mission
Wei was chosen for a secret mission that required travelling behind enemy lines.
- peacekeeping mission
- rescue mission
- combat mission
- space mission
- diplomatic mission
- on a mission
- mission to + infinitive
- assignment
more neutral, used in any work context; lacks the special or official weight of mission
- operation
often larger in scale and military in tone; an operation may contain several missions
- task
more general; a task can be small and routine, unlike a mission
Grammar Patterns
mission to + infinitive
Usage Note
Commonly paired with military or aerospace contexts; a mission is assigned and has a clear goal, unlike a general task or job.
Common Mistakes
2. a strong personal goal or purpose that someone believes they must achieve, often
a strong personal goal or purpose that someone believes they must achieve, often driven by a sense of moral responsibility or deep commitment.
Helping young people find jobs became Anong's personal mission after she saw so many struggling.
pattern: personal mission + to-infinitive
The team saw it as their mission to protect the local rainforest from being cut down.
Chiara believes her mission in life is to teach disadvantaged children how to read.
collocation: mission in life
Tunde treated the community project as a mission, not just another job to finish.
- personal mission
- mission in life
- sense of mission
- make it one's mission
- mission statement
Grammar Patterns
someone's mission + to-infinitive
Usage Note
Subject is usually a person or group describing their own strong sense of purpose. Distinguish from sense 1 (OFFICIAL TASK), which involves an external assignment from an authority.
Common Mistakes
3. an expression used to announce that a task or operation has been finished succes
an expression used to announce that a task or operation has been finished successfully, often after a long or difficult effort.
After five hours of moving boxes into the new flat, Caleb sat down and grinned, “Mission accomplished!”
informal exclamation after completing a task
The team leader smiled and declared mission accomplished once the last section of the bridge was safe.
Asher looked at the freshly painted room and said, “Mission accomplished!” to his wife.
The charity team finally announced mission accomplished after months of fundraising for the new school.
- mission accomplished
Grammar Patterns
say/declare mission accomplished
Usage Note
Used playfully for everyday tasks as well as serious operations. The phrase became widely known from the 2003 U.S. military announcement aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Common Mistakes
4. a team dispatched to another country to represent a government, organisation, or
a team dispatched to another country to represent a government, organisation, or church, including the physical site where they are based.
The French trade mission opened a new office in Ho Chi Minh City to support local businesses.
collocation: trade mission
Renata joined a medical mission in Kenya that provides free eye surgery to remote villages.
The old stone mission still stands at the edge of the desert, built by Spanish priests in the 1700s.
religious/historical sense: a mission building
Chile's diplomatic mission in Pretoria held talks with local government officials about the trade deal.
- trade mission
- diplomatic mission
- medical mission
- religious mission
- military mission
- mission church
- mission school
- embassy
specifically a diplomatic building; narrower and more formal than mission
- delegation
temporary group sent for talks, not a permanent presence like a mission
- outpost
any remote branch or settlement, not necessarily official or diplomatic
Grammar Patterns
mission + preposition phrase
Usage Note
Can refer either to the people (the diplomatic mission) or the physical building (the mission church). Context determines which meaning applies.
5. an undertaking, typically a journey or piece of work, that demands great effort
an undertaking, typically a journey or piece of work, that demands great effort and a long period to finish.
Getting the old computer to work again turned into quite a mission for Arjun.
informal: quite a mission
Filing all those tax documents before the deadline was a real mission for the office staff.
informal: a real mission
Lisa described the drive across London during rush hour as an absolute mission.
Finding a parking spot near the stadium during the concert was an absolute mission.
- quite a mission
- real mission
- absolute mission
- breeze
informal; something very easy
Grammar Patterns
be a (real/quite a) mission
Usage Note
Chiefly British informal use. Not used in formal writing. Avoid in academic or professional contexts.
Common Mistakes
Mission, Texas
idioma city located near the Rio Grande in southern Texas, United States, with a population of approximately 77,000.
The family drove from San Antonio to Mission, Texas to visit relatives near the border.
Mission, Texas lies in the Rio Grande Valley and is known for its citrus farms and warm climate.
a municipality on the Fraser River in southwestern British Columbia, Canada, with a population of approximately 36,000.
Hiroko took the train from Vancouver to Mission, British Columbia to hike in the nearby mountains.
The Fraser River winds past Mission, British Columbia, providing water for local farms and wildlife.
mission accomplished
idiomSaid when a task or goal has been successfully finished.
After fixing the leak, Tom said, "Mission accomplished."
Did you finish the report? Mission accomplished!
mission impossible
idiomA task that is extremely difficult or cannot be done.
Getting a reservation at that restaurant on Friday is mission impossible.
For Sara, finishing the marathon in under three hours seemed mission impossible.
mission — verb
1. to send someone to a particular place to carry out a specific task or official a
to send someone to a particular place to carry out a specific task or official assignment.
Christopher was missioned to the capital to negotiate a new trade agreement with the foreign delegates.
passive: be missioned + to-infinitive
The government missioned three geologists to study the volcanic activity in the northern region.
The general missioned Sergeant Layla to deliver the encrypted message to the front line.
Renata was missioned abroad by the foreign ministry to attend the climate summit in Geneva.
passive + preposition phrase
- missioned to
- missioned with
Grammar Patterns
be missioned + to-infinitive
be missioned + preposition phrase
Usage Note
Very rare in modern English; mostly found in historical or formal texts. The noun form is far more common.
Common Mistakes
2. to carry out religious or charitable work among a group of people or in a partic
to carry out religious or charitable work among a group of people or in a particular area, especially as a missionary.
In the 1800s, several European groups missioned among the indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin.
intransitive: mission among + group
The church missioned the region for over a century, building schools and hospitals in remote villages.
Father Tunde missioned among the rural communities of northern Ghana for nearly thirty years.
A group of nuns missioned throughout the island, setting up clinics and teaching farms along the coast.
intransitive: mission throughout + place
- missioned among
- missioned in
- evangelise
focuses on preaching and converting rather than humanitarian work
- minister
broader; providing spiritual care to a community
Grammar Patterns
mission among + group
Usage Note
Archaic or historical in tone. Almost never used in modern conversation; 'did missionary work' is the usual expression today.
mission — adjective
1. describing a building aesthetic found in the south-western United States, inspir
describing a building aesthetic found in the south-western United States, inspired by the design of early Spanish colonial churches, featuring thick walls, round arches, and red-tiled roofs.
The church in Santa Fe is built in the mission style, with thick white walls and rounded doorways.
attributive: mission style
Asher bought a house with mission arches and a red clay roof, typical of early California architecture.
The hotel was designed with mission archways and a red-tiled courtyard that opens onto the garden.
Mission revival homes became popular across southern California during the 1920s.
collocation: mission revival
- mission style
- mission architecture
- mission church
- mission revival
- Spanish colonial
broader style category; mission is a subset of Spanish colonial architecture
Grammar Patterns
mission + noun
Usage Note
Always used attributively before a noun (mission style, mission architecture). Not used predicatively ('this style is mission').
2. relating to a plain, sturdy style of wooden furniture, usually made of dark oak,
relating to a plain, sturdy style of wooden furniture, usually made of dark oak, that was popular in the United States in the early twentieth century.
The old dining table was made of heavy dark oak in the mission style, with straight legs and no decoration.
attributive: mission style for furniture
Élise found a mission rocking chair at the antique shop and loved its simple, solid build.
The craftsman built a mission bookcase using traditional joinery methods and dark oak planks.
Mission furniture from the early 1900s is now highly valued by collectors at antique auctions.
noun phrase: mission furniture
- mission furniture
- mission style
- mission oak
- Arts and Crafts
broader design movement; Mission is a specific American subset of this style
Grammar Patterns
mission + noun
Usage Note
Often called 'Mission furniture' or 'Mission style'. The style is associated with the American Arts and Crafts movement.
Word family
- missionarynounB2
- missionaryadjectiveC1
- missionernounC2
- missionizeverbC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/2
Mission, calling, vocation, and purpose all refer to a strong sense of direction in life, but they differ in scope and emotional weight. Mission emphasises an active duty or goal that someone feels compelled to carry out — it is task-focused and often self-assigned ('She made it her mission to improve local schools'). Calling carries a stronger emotional or spiritual pull, as if the role were divinely or morally appointed ('He felt a calling to become a priest'). Vocation is more career-focused, describing work that a person sees as a form of service rather than just a job ('Nursing was her true vocation'). Purpose is the broadest term: the reason something exists or the aim that gives life meaning, without requiring a specific task ('She found purpose in volunteering'). Use mission when you want to stress active effort toward a goal; use calling or vocation when the motivation feels deeper or more identity-defining.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word mission comes from Latin missio, meaning 'a sending out', which itself comes from mittere, 'to send'. It entered English through Old French mission in the 1500s, first used in a religious sense for sending missionaries abroad. By the 1600s it was also used for diplomatic assignments, and later for military and space operations. The modern sense of a personal calling or life purpose developed in the 1800s.