calling

noun call·ing \ ˈkȯ-liŋ \

|Updated on: 4 Aug 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

See calling defined for kids

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

The former Comcast sales supervisor and movie memorabilia collector said escape rooms are his true calling.

— deanna paul, Washington Post, "A man who broke into an ‘escape room’ repeatedly called 911 when he couldn’t escape, police say," 12 July 2018
Following his short teaching stint, Herb quickly realized that to travel the world and live in exotic countries was his calling.

— Sun-Sentinel.com, "Deaths in South Florida: 6/3," 3 June 2018
At a very young age Renée learned how to be a care giver which turned out to be her calling in life.

— courant.com, "Renee C. McCormick," 15 Apr. 2018
And this has become a passion for me, a kind of calling.

— ryan lenora brown, The Christian Science Monitor, "South Africa's unlikely ultramarathoner helps others cross the finish line," 6 July 2018
Name calling and shaming will only alienate them further!

— jennifer wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Why You Need to Say No to Civility," 27 June 2018
And, of course, there is always the chance that Martian methanogens still slumber in the planet’s subsurface even today, periodically awakening during clement periods to produce their gaseous calling-card.

— adam mann, Scientific American, "Curiosity Rover Uncovers Long-Sought Organic Materials on Martian Surface," 7 June 2018
Secular people sometimes forget that that word was originally synonymous with the concept of a religious calling, but Bolles, with his seminary training, most likely never did.

— rachel paige king, Longreads, "Is Your Job Lynchian, or Is It More Kafkaesque?," 26 Apr. 2018
For Cornell Scott’s Costello, the medical care his team provides is part of an even higher calling.

— steve hamm, courant.com, "Street Medicine: Helping the Homeless Where They Live," 26 Apr. 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

NEW! Time Traveler

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.