calling

noun call·ing \ ˈkȯ-liŋ \

|Updated on: 7 Jul 2018

Definition of calling

1 : a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action especially when accompanied by conviction of divine influence

2 : the vocation or profession in which one customarily engages

3 : the characteristic cry of a female cat in heat; also : the period of heat

See calling defined for English-language learners

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Examples of calling in a Sentence

He had always felt a calling to help others.
He experienced a calling to enter the priesthood.

Recent Examples of calling from the Web

Between the name-calling and racist imagery tweeted, her attackers have been blatant in going after her blackness and making no bones about it.

— kendra james, Cosmopolitan, ""Harassment" Doesn't Fully Capture What's Happening to Leslie Jones. "Hate Crime" Seems More Fitting.," 26 Aug. 2016
Do not applaud anyone who engages in name-calling or ad hominem attacks.

— dan rodricks, baltimoresun.com, "Rodricks: 10 ways to be a great American citizen for the Fourth of July," 3 July 2018
Name-calling and insults, many mimicking the combative style by Trump himself, poured onto the Internet and TV.

— mary jordan, BostonGlobe.com, "Shaming and shunning of public officials is no longer off limits," 25 June 2018
Nothing throws the golf world into a heated, name-calling, think-of-the-children frenzy quite like a rules controversy.

— daniel rapaport, SI.com, "FORE Questions: Breaking Down an Eventful U.S. Open at Shinnecock," 19 June 2018
The feud soon degenerated into acrimony and name-calling.

— byron tau, WSJ, "Democratic House Takeover Would Set Up Rematch for Trump’s Old New York Foe," 29 May 2018
According to the Funky Picnic website, the friends went from brewing in a garage to becoming more serious about the science and equipment of their calling.

— robert philpot, star-telegram, "Something new is preparing to brew in Fort Worth's 'brew zone'," 13 June 2018
The name-calling, of course, is just one tactic in his media disparagement routine, and CNN’s not the only target.

— felix gillette, Bloomberg.com, "Get Ready for Big Media to Get Bigger After AT&T Victory," 13 June 2018
Victor, however, isn't part of that statistic thanks to those two police officers who didn't see him as just another call, but rather as part of their calling.

— CBS News, ""He got to my heart": How a bullied teen changed the lives of two Denver police officers," 8 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'calling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of calling

13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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calling Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of calling

work, employment, occupation, calling, pursuit, métier, business mean a specific sustained activity engaged in especially in earning one's living. work may apply to any purposeful activity whether remunerative or not.