Call Definition and Meaning
By Urooj Arif & Maham Liaqat — Updated on March 6, 2024
Call means to cry out or shout, especially to attract attention or to summon someone. e.g., She heard someone call her name in the crowd.
Table of Contents
Call Definitions
To communicate with someone by phone.
He decided to call his friend for advice.
To awaken or rouse from sleep.
The alarm clock called him at dawn.
To name or refer to someone or something in a specific way.
They call the place home.
To predict or forecast, especially in betting or investments.
He called the market trend accurately.
In games, to challenge or demand a proof of a claim.
She called his bluff during the poker game.
To make a visit, especially formally or as a social or professional courtesy.
She plans to call on her professor during office hours.
To cancel or annul something.
The game was called due to rain.
To demand or require a particular action or attention.
The situation calls for immediate measures.
To make a vocal sound or signal, as birds and animals often do.
The birds call at the break of dawn.
To summon or request the presence of.
The manager called a meeting for the afternoon.
To say in a loud voice; announce
Called my name from across the street.
Calling out numbers.
To demand or ask for the presence of
Called the children to dinner.
Call the police.
To demand or ask for a meeting of; convene or convoke
Call the legislature into session.
To order or request to undertake a particular activity or work; summon
She was called for jury duty. He was called to the priesthood.
To give the command for; order
Call a work stoppage.
To communicate or try to communicate with by telephone
Called me at nine.
To dial (a telephone number)
Call 911 for help.
To lure (prey) by imitating the characteristic cry of an animal
Call ducks.
To cause to come to the mind or to attention
A story that calls to mind an incident in my youth.
To name
What will you call the baby?.
To consider or regard as being of a particular type or kind; characterize
Let's call the game a draw. I'd hardly call him a good manager.
To designate; label
Nobody calls me a liar.
To demand payment of
Call a loan.
To require the presentation of (a bond) for redemption before maturity.
To force the sale of (a stock or commodity) by exercising a call option.
To stop or postpone (a game) because of bad weather, darkness, or other adverse conditions.
To declare in the capacity of an umpire or referee
Call a runner out.
Call a penalty for holding.
To indicate a decision in regard to
Calling balls and strikes.
Called a close play at home plate.
To give the orders or signals for
A quarterback who called a poor play.
To describe the intended outcome of (one's billiard shot) before playing.
In poker, to place a bet equal to (the preceding bet or bettor).
To indicate or characterize accurately in advance; predict
It is often difficult to call the outcome of an election.
To challenge the truthfulness or genuineness of
Called the debater on a question of fact.
To shout directions in rhythm for (a square dance).
To speak loudly; shout
A swimmer who was calling for help.
To utter a characteristic cry. Used of an animal
Geese calling in the early morning.
To communicate or try to communicate with someone by telephone
I called twice, but no one answered.
To pay a short visit
We called to pay our respects. He called on the neighbors but they weren't home.
(Games) In poker, to place a bet equal to the preceding bet.
A loud cry; a shout.
The characteristic cry of an animal.
A sound or an instrument made to imitate such a cry, used as a lure
A moose call.
A telephone communication or connection.
Need or occasion
There was no call for an apology.
Demand
There isn't much call for buggy whips today.
A claim on a person's time or life
The call of duty.
A short visit, especially one made as a formality or for business or professional purposes.
A summons or invitation.
A signal, such as that made by a horn or bell.
The sounding of a horn to encourage hounds during a hunt.
A strong inner urge or prompting; a vocation
A call to the priesthood.
The strong attraction or appeal of a given activity or environment
The call of the wild.
Answered the call of the desert.
A roll call.
A notice of rehearsal times posted in a theater.
A decision made by an umpire or referee.
An announced description of a game or race, as by a sportscaster.
A direction or series of directions rhythmically called out to square dancers.
A demand for payment of a debt.
A demand to submit bonds to the issuer for redemption before the maturity date.
An option to buy a certain quantity of a stock or commodity for a specified price within a specified time.
A demand for payment due on stock bought on margin when the value has shrunk.
A telephone conversation; a phone call.
I received several phone calls today.
I received several calls today.
An instance of calling someone on the telephone.
I made a call to Jim, but he didn't answer.
A short visit, usually for social purposes.
I paid a call to a dear friend of mine.
(nautical) A visit by a ship or boat to a port.
The ship made a call at Southampton.
A cry or shout.
He heard a call from the other side of the room.
A decision or judgement.
That was a good call.
The characteristic cry of a bird or other animal.
That sound is the distinctive call of the cuckoo bird.
A beckoning or summoning.
I had to yield to the call of the wild.
The right to speak at a given time during a debate or other public event; the floor.
The Prime Minister has the call.
I give the call to the Manager of Opposition Business.
(finance) call option
(cricket) The act of calling to the other batsman.
(cricket) The state of being the batsman whose role it is to call (depends on where the ball goes.)
(uncountable) A work shift which requires one to be available when requested, i.e. on call.
(computing) The act of jumping to a subprogram, saving the means to return to the original point.
A statement of a particular state, or rule, made in many games such as bridge, craps, jacks, and so on.
There was a 20 dollar bet on the table, and my call was 9.
(poker) The act of matching a bet made by a player who has previously bet in the same round of betting.
A note blown on the horn to encourage the dogs in a hunt.
(nautical) A whistle or pipe, used by the boatswain and his mate to summon the sailors to duty.
A pipe or other instrument to call birds or animals by imitating their note or cry. A game call.
An invitation to take charge of or serve a church as its pastor.
(archaic) Vocation; employment; calling.
A reference to, or statement of, an object, course, distance, or other matter of description in a survey or grant requiring or calling for a corresponding object, etc., on the land.
A meeting with a client for paid sex; hookup; job.
(law) A lawyer who was called to the bar (became licensed as a lawyer) in a specified year.
(in negative constructions) Need; necessity.
There's no call for that kind of bad language!
To use one's voice.
(intransitive) To request, summon, or beckon.
That person is hurt; call for help!
(intransitive) To cry or shout.
(transitive) To utter in a loud or distinct voice.
To call the roll of a military company
(ambitransitive) To contact by telephone.
Why don’t you call me in the morning?
Why don’t you call tomorrow?
(transitive) To declare in advance.
The captains call the coin toss.
To rouse from sleep; to awaken.
To declare (an effort or project) to be a failure.
After the third massive failure, John called the whole initiative.
To request that one's band play (a particular tune).
To visit.
To pay a (social) visit often used with "on", "round", or "at"; used by salespeople with "again" to invite customers to come again.
We could always call on a friend.
The engineer called round whilst you were away.
To stop at a station or port.
This train calls at Reading, Slough and London Paddington.
Our cruise ship called at Bristol Harbour.
To come to pass; to afflict.
To name, identify or describe.
(ditransitive) To name or refer to.
Why don’t we dispense with the formalities. Please call me Al.
(in passive) Of a person, to have as one's name; of a thing, to have as its name.
I’m called John.
A very tall building is called a skyscraper.
(transitive) To predict.
He called twelve of the last three recessions.
To state, or estimate, approximately or loosely; to characterize without strict regard to fact.
They call the distance ten miles.
That's enough work. Let's call it a day and go home.
(transitive) To formally recognise a death: especially to announce and record the time, place and fact of a person’s death.
(transitive) To claim the existence of some malfeasance; to denounce as.
I call bullshit.
She called foul on their scheme.
(obsolete) To disclose the class or character of; to identify.
Direct or indirect use of the voice.
(cricket) (of a batsman): To shout directions to the other batsman on whether or not they should take a run.
(of a fielder): To shout to other fielders that he intends to take a catch (thus avoiding collisions).
To equal the same amount that other players are currently betting.
I bet $800 and Jane raised to $1600. My options: call (match her $1600 bet), reraise or fold.
To match the current bet amount, in preparation for a raise in the same turn. (Usually, players are forbidden to announce one's play this way.)
I’ll call your 300, and raise to 600!
(transitive) To state, or invoke a rule, in many games such as bridge, craps, jacks, and so on.
My partner called two spades.
To require, demand.
He felt called to help the old man.
To cause to be verbally subjected to.
The basis for his conclusion was called into doubt
To lay claim to an object or role which is up for grabs.
I call the comfy chair!
To announce the early extinction of a debt by prepayment, usually at a premium.
To demand repayment of a loan.
To jump to (another part of a program) to perform some operation, returning to the original point on completion.
A recursive function is one that calls itself.
(Yorkshire) To scold.
(sports) To make a decision as a referee or umpire.
The goal was called offside.
(cue sports) To tell in advance which shot one is attempting.
Every shot must be called.
To command or request to come or be present; to summon; as, to call a servant.
Call hither Clifford; bid him come amain
To summon to the discharge of a particular duty; to designate for an office, or employment, especially of a religious character; - often used of a divine summons; as, to be called to the ministry; sometimes, to invite; as, to call a minister to be the pastor of a church.
Paul . . . called to be an apostle
The Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
To invite or command to meet; to convoke; - often with together; as, the President called Congress together; to appoint and summon; as, to call a meeting of the Board of Aldermen.
Now call we our high court of Parliament.
To give name to; to name; to address, or speak of, by a specifed name.
If you would but call me Rosalind.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.
To regard or characterize as of a certain kind; to denominate; to designate.
What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
To state, or estimate, approximately or loosely; to characterize without strict regard to fact; as, they call the distance ten miles; he called it a full day's work.
[The] army is called seven hundred thousand men.
To show or disclose the class, character, or nationality of.
This speech calls him Spaniard.
To utter in a loud or distinct voice; - often with off; as, to call, or call off, the items of an account; to call the roll of a military company.
No parish clerk who calls the psalm so clear.
To invoke; to appeal to.
I call God for a witness.
To rouse from sleep; to awaken.
If thou canst awake by four o' the clock.I prithee call me. Sleep hath seized me wholly.
To speak in loud voice; to cry out; to address by name; - sometimes with to.
You must call to the nurse.
The angel of God called to Hagar.
To make a demand, requirement, or request.
They called for rooms, and he showed them one.
To make a brief visit; also, to stop at some place designated, as for orders.
He ordered her to call at the house once a week.
The act of calling; - usually with the voice, but often otherwise, as by signs, the sound of some instrument, or by writing; a summons; an entreaty; an invitation; as, a call for help; the bugle's call.
I rose as at thy call, but found thee not.
A signal, as on a drum, bugle, trumpet, or pipe, to summon soldiers or sailors to duty.
An invitation to take charge of or serve a church as its pastor.
A requirement or appeal arising from the circumstances of the case; a moral requirement or appeal.
Dependence is a perpetual call upon humanity.
Running into danger without any call of duty.
A divine vocation or summons.
St. Paul himself believed he did well, and that he had a call to it, when he persecuted the Christians.
Vocation; employment.
A short visit; as, to make a call on a neighbor; also, the daily coming of a tradesman to solicit orders.
The baker's punctual call.
A note blown on the horn to encourage the hounds.
A whistle or pipe, used by the boatswain and his mate, to summon the sailors to duty.
The cry of a bird; also a noise or cry in imitation of a bird; or a pipe to call birds by imitating their note or cry.
A reference to, or statement of, an object, course, distance, or other matter of description in a survey or grant requiring or calling for a corresponding object, etc., on the land.
The privilege to demand the delivery of stock, grain, or any commodity, at a fixed, price, at or within a certain time agreed on.
See Assessment, 4.
A telephone connection;
She reported several anonymous calls
He placed a phone call to London
He heard the phone ringing but didn't want to take the call
A special disposition (as if from a divine source) to pursue a particular course;
He was disappointed that he had not heard the Call
A loud utterance; often in protest or opposition;
The speaker was interrupted by loud cries from the rear of the audience
A demand especially in the phrase
The call of duty
The characteristic sound produced by a bird;
A bird will not learn its song unless it hears it at an early age
A brief social visit;
Senior professors' wives no longer make afternoon calls on newcomers
A demand by a broker that a customer deposit enough to bring his margin up to the minimum requirement
A demand for a show of hands in a card game;
After two raises there was a call
A request;
Many calls for Christmas stories
Not many calls for buggywhips
An instruction that interrupts the program being executed;
Pascal performs calls by simply giving the name of the routine to be executed
Brief visit in an official or professional capacity;
The pastor's visits to his parishioners
A visit to a dentist
The salesman's call on a customer
(sports) the decision made by an umpire or referee;
He was ejected for protesting the call
The option to buy a given stock (or stock index or commodity future) at a given price before a given date
Assign a specified, proper name to;
They named their son David
The new school was named after the famous Civil Rights leader
Get or try to get into communication (with someone) by telephone;
I tried to call you all night
Take two aspirin and call me in the morning
Ascribe a quality to or give a name of a common noun that reflects a quality;
He called me a bastard
She called her children lazy and ungrateful
Order, request, or command to come;
She was called into the director's office
Call the police!
Utter a sudden loud cry;
She cried with pain when the doctor inserted the needle
I yelled to her from the window but she couldn't hear me
Pay a brief visit;
The mayor likes to call on some of the prominent citizens
Call a meeting; invite or command to meet;
The Wannsee Conference was called to discuss the `Final Solution'
The new dean calls meetings every week
Order or request or give a command for;
The unions called a general strike for Sunday
Order, summon, or request for a specific duty or activity, work, role;
He was already called 4 times for jury duty
They called him to active military duty
Indicate a decision in regard to;
Call balls and strikes behind the plate
Stop or postpone because of adverse conditions, such as bad weather;
Call a football game
Read aloud to check for omissions or absentees;
Call roll
Send a message or attempt to reach someone by radio, phone, etc.; make a signal to in order to transmit a message;
Hawaii is calling!
A transmitter in Samoa was heard calling
Declare in the capacity of an umpire or referee;
Call a runner out
Utter a characteristic note or cry;
Bluejays called to one another
Utter in a loud voice or announce;
He called my name
The auctioneer called the bids
Make a prediction about; tell in advance;
Call the outcome of an election
Challenge (somebody) to make good on a statement; charge with or censure for an offense;
He deserves to be called on that
Consider or regard as being;
I would not call her beautiful
Demand payment of (a loan);
Call a loan
Give the calls (to the dancers) for a square dance
Greet, as with a prescribed form, title, or name;
He always addresses me with `Sir'
Call me Mister
She calls him by first name
Make a stop in a harbour;
The ship will call in Honolulu tomorrow
Make a demand, as for a card or a suit or a show of hands;
He called his trump
Require the presentation of for redemption before maturation;
Call a bond
Lure by imitating the characteristic call of an animal;
Call ducks
Challenge the sincerity or truthfulness of;
Call the speaker on a question of fact
Rouse somebody from sleep with a call;
I was called at 5 A.M. this morning
Call Snonyms
Phone
To communicate with someone by telephone.
I'll phone you when I arrive.
Summon
To urgently demand the presence of.
The principal summoned him to her office.
Page
To summon or call by name over a public address system.
Your doctor is paging you to return to the waiting room.
Contact
To communicate with someone.
She will contact you later with the details.
Beckon
To signal or summon, as by nodding or waving.
The manager beckoned her into his office.
Ring
To make a phone call to someone.
He said he would ring me at 8 p.m.
Dial
To make a phone call by pressing the numbers.
Dial the number and wait for a response.
Hail
To call out to in order to stop, attract attention, or say hello.
He hailed a cab downtown.
Buzz
To call someone on an intercom or by phone.
Buzz me in when you reach the front door.
Shout
To call or cry out loudly and vigorously.
He had to shout to be heard over the noise.
Call Idioms & Phrases
Call off the dogs
To stop criticizing or harassing someone.
After the agreement, he asked them to call off the dogs.
Call the shots
To be in charge and make decisions.
In this team, the captain calls the shots.
Call to arms
A summons to engage in active combat or a cause.
The speech was a call to arms for the activists.
Call into question
To doubt or dispute something.
The new evidence calls into question the original verdict.
Call on the carpet
To reprimand or scold someone.
The manager called him on the carpet for the mistake.
Call the tune
To be in a position to control or dictate terms.
As the CEO, she calls the tune in the company.
Call a spade a spade
To speak frankly and directly.
He's known for calling a spade a spade, regardless of the audience.
Call one's bluff
To challenge someone to act on their threat or claim.
He didn't believe her, so he called her bluff.
Call it a day
To decide to stop working for the day.
After hours of work, they decided to call it a day.
Call for
To require, demand, or need something.
This recipe calls for fresh herbs.
Call forth
To evoke or bring out something.
The crisis called forth great courage from the community.
Call in sick
To inform one's workplace that one will be absent due to illness.
She felt terrible and had to call in sick.
Call of duty
A moral or legal obligation to do something.
He joined the efforts out of a sense of call of duty.
Call up
To summon for military service or to recall something from memory.
He was called up for duty last summer.
Call out
To criticize or challenge someone publicly.
The article called out the corporation for its practices.
Call the roll
To read names from a list to check attendance.
The teacher called the roll at the beginning of class.
Call to action
An appeal or demand to do something, particularly in advertising or politics.
The campaign's call to action was very compelling.
Call it quits
To stop or give up on something.
After several attempts, they decided to call it quits.
Call by
To visit briefly.
I'll call by your house on my way home.
Call to mind
To remember or recall something.
The song calls to mind memories of my childhood.
Call Example Sentences
She will call you tomorrow to confirm the details.
Everyone calls him "the expert" because of his knowledge.
They made a brief call at their neighbor's house.
Their cries could call a person from deep sleep.
This situation calls for a careful and measured approach.
The project calls for a lot of teamwork and cooperation.
At night, you can hear the owls call in the forest.
They call each other every day to stay in touch.
He likes to call the shots in group projects.
She had to call in sick because of a fever.
Common Curiosities
What is a stressed syllable in call?
The entire word "call" is stressed, as it is only one syllable.
How do we divide call into syllables?
"Call" does not divide into syllables as it is a single syllable word.
How is call used in a sentence?
"Call" can be used to describe making a phone call, summoning, or naming, e.g., Please call the office to confirm your appointment.
Why is it called call?
It is called "call" because it originates from Old English "ceallian," meaning to cry out loudly or summon someone.
What is the root word of call?
The root word of "call" is the Old English "ceallian," meaning to shout or to announce.
What is the second form of call?
The second form is "called," indicating the past tense.
What is the pronunciation of call?
"Call" is pronounced as /kɔːl/.
How many syllables are in call?
There is one syllable in "call."
What is the opposite of call?
The opposite of "call" could be "hang up" for ending a phone call, or "dismiss" for the opposite of summoning.
Is call an adverb?
"Call" is not an adverb.
What is the verb form of call?
The verb form is "call," as in to summon or to telephone.
Is call a countable noun?
Yes, "call" is a countable noun. E.g., "She received several calls today."
Is call a collective noun?
"Call" is not typically used as a collective noun.
Is the word “call” a Direct object or an Indirect object?
"Call" can be the direct object in a sentence, e.g., "I made a call." It can also be related to an indirect object, e.g., "I gave him a call."
What is the first form of call?
The first form is "call," as in the base form of the verb.
Is call a negative or positive word?
"Call" is neutral; its positive or negative connotation depends on the context.
Is the word call Gerund?
The gerund form of "call" is "calling," which functions as a noun.
Which vowel is used before call?
The vowel "a" is used in "call."
What is the third form of call?
The third form is also "called," used as the past participle.
What part of speech is call?
"Call" can be a verb, noun, or adjective, depending on its use in a senten
What is another term for call?
Another term for "call" could be "summon" or "phone" depending on the context.
Is call a noun or adjective?
"Call" can be both a noun and a verb, but it is not typically used as an adjective.
What is the singular form of call?
The singular form is "call."
What is the plural form of call?
The plural form is "calls."
Is the call term a metaphor?
The term "call" can be used metaphorically in phrases like "a call to action."
Is the word call imperative?
"Call" can be used in the imperative mood, as in giving a command, e.g., "Call me tomorrow."
Is call an abstract noun?
"Call" can be considered an abstract noun when it refers to the concept or act of calling or summoning.
Is call a vowel or consonant?
The word "call" starts with a consonant.
Which determiner is used with call?
Determiners such as "a," "the," "this," "my" can be used with "call," e.g., "I received a call."
Which preposition is used with call?
Prepositions like "for," "to," and "on" can be used with "call," e.g., "call for help," "call to action," "call on someone."
Which conjunction is used with call?
Conjunctions such as "and" or "but" can be used with "call," e.g., "He called and left a message."
Which article is used with call?
Both the definite article "the" and the indefinite article "a" can be used with "call," depending on the context, e.g., "The call was urgent," or "I received a call."
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Written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
