mission

/ˈmɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · [mˈɪʃən] /ˈmɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · [mˈɪʃən] /ˈmi-shən/ (ame, mw)

mission — noun

  • missionsingular
  • missionsplural

1. work in which someone or a team is sent out with a clear duty, especially in war

1.名詞B2
釋義

work in which someone or a team is sent out with a clear duty, especially in war, rescue, or other risky situations

例句

The rescue team began its mission at dawn after the bridge collapsed.

collocation: begin a rescue mission

Hugo's mission in Nairobi was to train new airport security staff.

同義詞
  • assignment

    officially given work, but often less dramatic or dangerous

  • operation

    more common for planned military, medical, or police action

  • task

    broader and often used for ordinary pieces of work

  • expedition

    stresses the journey or exploration more than the assigned purpose

文法句型

mission to + place

be on a mission

mission was to + verb

用法筆記

Often used for official, military, rescue, or scientific work, especially when people are sent somewhere to do it. For small everyday jobs, "task" or "job" is usually more natural.

常見錯誤

❌My mission today is to answer three emails.
✅My task today is to answer three emails.
💡'mission' suggests something important or strongly purposeful, not a small routine job.

2. work or a purpose that someone feels they have a duty to follow for a long time

2.名詞C1
釋義

work or a purpose that someone feels they have a duty to follow for a long time

例句

Gita sees teaching girls in rural towns as her life's mission.

pattern: life's mission

After the flood, Brooke made it her mission to rebuild the old clinic.

pattern: make it your mission to + verb

同義詞
  • calling

    strongly suggests a deep personal pull toward certain work

  • purpose

    broader and can describe the reason for many actions or things

  • vocation

    more formal and often linked to a career or religious path

  • cause

    focuses more on the social issue someone supports

文法句型

life's mission

make it your mission to + verb

mission in life

用法筆記

Usually refers to work or an aim that feels morally important or central to a person's life, not a short-term plan. It often appears in phrases such as "life's mission" and "make it your mission to...".

常見錯誤

❌Her mission is to buy a larger car this year.
✅Her goal is to buy a larger car this year.
💡Use 'mission' for a deeply felt purpose, not an ordinary personal plan.

3. words used to show that a required job has been finished successfully

3.名詞B2
釋義

words used to show that a required job has been finished successfully

例句

Mission accomplished, the missing passport was back in Tariro's bag.

fixed phrase: Mission accomplished

When the cake came out unburned, Ari grinned, 'Mission accomplished.'

文法句型

Mission accomplished

用法筆記

Used as a fixed announcement after a job is finished, often playfully or with relief. It comments on the completed result rather than naming the goal itself.

4. people working away from home for a government, church, or similar body, or the

4.名詞C1
釋義

people working away from home for a government, church, or similar body, or the building they use as their base

例句

The trade mission met local farmers before signing the food agreement.

collocation: trade mission

Yael spent two years at a medical mission near the Sudan border.

同義詞
  • delegation

    focuses on the people sent to represent a group or government

  • embassy

    more specific to official diplomatic representation and its building

  • outpost

    focuses more on the place than on the representatives themselves

文法句型

trade mission

mission to + place

at the mission

用法筆記

This sense may refer either to the people sent out or to the place where they work. It is common with nouns such as "trade", "medical", "diplomatic", and "church".

常見錯誤

❌The museum sent a mission to fix the roof.
✅The museum sent a team to fix the roof.
💡In this sense, 'mission' means a representative or religious group, not any work crew.

5. a journey into space by a spacecraft, or the work of carrying out that journey

5.名詞B2
釋義

a journey into space by a spacecraft, or the work of carrying out that journey

例句

The Mars mission collected rock samples and sent images back to Earth.

collocation: Mars mission

Engineers delayed the mission because ice formed on the launch pad.

同義詞
  • flight

    broader and can refer to ordinary air travel as well as space travel

  • expedition

    stresses exploration and travel, often over a longer period

  • launch

    refers only to the act of sending the craft up, not the whole project

文法句型

mission to + planet

crewed mission

mission into space

用法筆記

Often modified by the place or target of travel, as in "Mars mission" or "moon mission", and used in news about planning, launch, and return. Distinguish it from sense 1, where people are sent to carry out the task.

常見錯誤

❌The mission exploded on the launch pad.
✅The rocket exploded on the launch pad, and the mission was canceled.
💡The mission is the whole flight, not only the vehicle.