Meaning & use
mission
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Meanings
nouncountable
An important task or journey that a person or group is sent to carry out.
Grammar: Often with on: on a mission.
Patterns
- go on a mission
- a mission to do something
The team was sent on a rescue mission.
Their mission was to find the missing hikers.
The pilot completed his mission safely.
nouncountable
A strong purpose or goal that a person or organization sets itself.
Grammar: Often a mission statement.
Patterns
- a mission to do something
- on a mission
Our mission is to make healthy food affordable.
She is on a mission to learn five languages.
The charity has a clear mission.
nouncountablespecialist
A spaceflight or military operation with a specific objective.
Grammar: Used for space missions and military missions.
Patterns
- a space mission
The mission to Mars took several years to plan.
The crew returned after a six-month mission.
The bombers flew a night mission.
nouncountableformal
A group of people sent abroad for official talks, or the office they work in.
Grammar: Often a diplomatic mission or trade mission.
Patterns
- a trade mission
A trade mission visited three countries.
The ambassador led the diplomatic mission.
The mission in Paris closed at five.
nouncountablereligion
A religious organization or place that spreads its faith, often in another country.
Grammar: Often the old mission or a Christian mission.
Patterns
- a mission in somewhere
The old mission stands by the river.
She worked at a mission hospital.
Missions were founded along the coast.
Word forms
| plural | missions |
|---|
Common combinations
- mission statement
- The company's mission statement is displayed in the hall.
- complete a mission
- They completed their mission before dawn.
- rescue mission
- A rescue mission was launched after the storm.
- mission accomplished
- The task is done; mission accomplished.
- on a mission
- He is on a mission to get fit.
- space mission
- The space mission carried a new telescope.
Synonyms and how they differ
- task
- A task can be small and routine, but mission suggests a larger, more important aim.
- assignment
- Assignment is a job given to someone, with less sense of urgency than mission.
- purpose
- Purpose is the reason for doing something, whereas mission includes the act of carrying it out.
- quest
- Quest suggests a long search, often romantic or adventurous.
Word family
- missionary noun
- a person sent to spread a faith
- emissary noun
- a person sent on a special task
- commission noun
- an official group or a payment
- submission noun
- the act of yielding or handing in
- transmission noun
- the sending of something
Commonly confused: mission or mansion?
mission vs mansion
A mansion is a large house. The spelling is close but the meaning is unrelated.
Practice
Which phrase best matches a person on a mission?
Choose one answer.
On a mission suggests determined pursuit of a goal.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mission”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.