vocation
Americannoun
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a particular occupation, business, or profession; calling.
- Synonyms:
- pursuit, employment
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a strong impulse or inclination to follow a particular activity or career.
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a divine call to God's service or to the Christian life.
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a function or station in life to which one is called by God.
the religious vocation; the vocation of marriage.
noun
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a specified occupation, profession, or trade
-
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a special urge, inclination, or predisposition to a particular calling or career, esp a religious one
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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
Explanation
Unless you can find someone to pay you to sip fancy tropical drinks on the beach, your vocation is not likely to be a vacation. Rather, the word means something you know how to do––or what you do for a living. The word vocation derives from the Latin vocare "to call." To become a priest, you need to feel that you have been "called" to the ministry directly by God. Their job is their calling, or vocation. An avocation is something you do because you love it. Everyone should make it their goal to have their avocation become their vocation.
Vocabulary lists containing vocation
Can I Work It? Words for "Job"
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Latin Love, Vol I: vocare
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Anthem
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And business is a real vocation for a lot of people.
From Slate • Feb. 21, 2026
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 • Jan. 9, 2026
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 • Jan. 7, 2026
She added: "In my calling now, I strive to carry the care and compassion that shaped my vocation as a nurse into everything that I do."
From BBC • Jan. 1, 2026
“Bienvenida, hi/a, ” La Madrina beckons in a voice hoarse with a vocation to the unfortunate.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
