mission

B1 Topic:Work & Careers

Also spelled meesion

US /ˈmɪʃ.ən/ See IPA manual

Freq #1152

Meanings

1

noun
An important job or task that a person or group is given.

Usage: For an assigned task, use a mission to do something or be on a mission. The word emphasizes a particular purpose or responsibility.

The research team's mission was to map the previously unexplored cave.

They were sent on a secret mission to London.
2

noun
An important aim or purpose that someone is determined to achieve.

She made it her mission in life to help homeless people.
3

noun
A military operation given to a unit, especially by air.

The planes were on a bombing mission.
4

noun
The work of a religious missionary, or a place where it is based.

Many cities in the Americas grew from old Spanish missions.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an important job or task... assignment charge commission

2 noun · an important aim or purpose... goal objective

3 noun · a military operation given... military mission

4 noun · the work of a religious... missionary work

Word family

Forms missions

Derived forms antimissioncountermissionintermission intromissionmission-criticalmissionalmissioneemissionisemissionizationmissionizemissionlessmultimission

Related forms admissible admission admit commission commit demiss demission demit emission emit intermission intermit

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

reconnaissance mission
an operation carried out to gather information about an area or opposing force

Noun + noun

Idioms (1)

See all

mission creep
the gradual expansion of a project's goals beyond its original scope

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin missiō, a sending or dispatch, related to mittō, to send, whose infinitive is mittere and whose supine form is missum.

*mey- (change) Proto-Indo-European missiō Latin mittere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Work & Careers

External links

# mission

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈmɪʃ.ən/
**Frequency rank:** 1152

## Meanings
1. An important job or task that a person or group is given.
2. An important aim or purpose that someone is determined to achieve.
3. A military operation given to a unit, especially by air.
4. The work of a religious missionary, or a place where it is based.

## Usage Notes
- An important job or task that a person or group is given.: For an assigned task, use a mission to do something or be on a mission. The word emphasizes a particular purpose or responsibility.

## Examples
- The research team's mission was to map the previously unexplored cave.
- They were sent on a secret mission to London.
- She made it her mission in life to help homeless people.
- The planes were on a bombing mission.
- Many cities in the Americas grew from old Spanish missions.

## Derived Forms
- antimission
- countermission
- intermission
- intromission
- mission-critical
- missional
- missionee
- missionise
- missionization
- missionize
- missionless
- multimission

## Related Forms
- admissible
- admission
- admit
- commission
- commit
- demiss
- demission
- demit
- emission
- emit
- intermission
- intermit

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *mey- (change)
- Root: missiō
- Root: mittere - to send

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin missiō, a sending or dispatch, related to mittō, to send, whose infinitive is mittere and whose supine form is missum.

## AI Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin missiō, missiōnem (“a sending, sending away, dispatching, discharging, release, remission, cessation”). In present-day English its meanings include an important job or task that a person or group is given, an important aim or purpose that someone is determined to achieve, and a military operation given to a unit, especially by air. The historical chain runs through *mey- (change) (Proto-Indo-European) and missiō (Latin). Related and derived forms include admissible, admission, admit, and antimission.

## Topics
- Work & Careers

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