Word.ws English Dictionary

on a mission

Syllables: mis·sionUK/ɒn‿ə ˈmɪʃn̩//ɑn‿ə ˈmɪʃən/

on a mission prepositional phrase: actively and determinedly engaged on a task.

Prepositional phrase

  1. Actively and determinedly engaged on a task.
    • So she walked and as the night begun^([sic]) to engulf the countryside Emily still did not tire, she was on a mission; a mission to save her friend, her sister.2014 March 5, Keira Donegan, “We’re Not Alone”, in The Truth and Other Lies, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN, page 39
    • Gareth Southgate's side were on a mission to travel one step further than any England side has done since the 1966 World Cup final win against West Germany and they finally achieved the long-cherished goal as they came from behind to beat Denmark after extra time.2021 July 7, Phil McNulty, “European Championship – Semi-final: England 2 – 1 Denmark”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 12 Apr 2023
  2. (slang) Looking for drugs; on a drug run.
    • I'm slipping on my khaki suit (Which one?) / The blue one, gun by my side as I mob to the beach / On a mission and I'm fishing for my DJ Warren G1993 November 23, Calvin Broadus Jr., Andre Young, Delmar Arnaud, “Gz Up, Hoes Down” (track 18), in Doggystyle, performed by Snoop Doggy Dogg, Los Angeles, Calif.: Death Row Records, →OCLC
    • Unfortunately for that relationship, I was a train wreck from day one. All I could think was, Where can I get some drugs? I was on a mission, as I called it. I knew that if I could find Jeremy, I would be able to get high. I had heard he had advanced to harder drugs. Plus, I trusted him. Either...2015, Tracey Helton Mitchell, “Let’s Get This Out of the Way”, in The Big Fix: Hope after Heroin, Berkeley, Calif.: Seal Press, Perseus Books Group, →ISBN, pages 42–43

Origin of on a mission

From on + a + mission (“set of tasks that fulfils a duty or purpose; deeply felt ambition in life”).

Words that rhyme with on a mission

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about on a mission

What does on a mission mean?
On a mission means actively and determinedly engaged on a task.
What part of speech is on a mission?
On a mission is a prepositional phrase.
How do you pronounce on a mission?
On a mission is pronounced /ɒn‿ə ˈmɪʃn̩/ (UK).

Words near on a mission in the dictionary

  1. on a good wicket
  2. on a kick
  3. on a lark
  4. on a loose end
  5. on a losing wicket
  6. on a mission
  7. on a need-to-know basis
  8. on a pair
  9. on a par
  10. on a pinch
  11. on a plate

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: on a mission (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-on a mission.ogg.

Cite this entry: “on a mission.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/on_a_mission. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.