call
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call (kôl)
transitive verb
- to say or read in a loud tone; shout; announce to call the names of stations
- to command or ask to come; summon call him to supper
- to summon to a specific duty, profession, etc. the army called him
- to convoke judicially or officially to call a meeting
- to give or apply a name to call the baby Ann
- to designate they called her a cheat
- to consider or describe as specified I call it silly
- to direct (attention) to
- to awaken call me at six
- to communicate with by telephone
- to give orders for to call a strike
- ☆ to stop or halt game called because of rain
- to demand or order payment of (a loan or bond issue)
- to utter or chant directions for (a square dance)
- ☆ to imitate the sounds of in order to attract (a bird or animal)
- in pool, to describe (the shot one plans to make)
- to predict
- ☆
- Poker to equal (the preceding bet) or to equal the bet of (the last previous bettor)
- to challenge on, or force to account for, something said or done
- to expose (someone's bluff) by such action
- ☆ Sports
- to declare officially to be the umpire called him out
- to invoke (a penalty) against (a player or team)
Etymology: ME callen < Late OE ceallian & or < ON kalla < IE base *gal-, to scream, shriek > Brythonic galw, call, Ger klage & (?) MIr gall, swan
intransitive verb
- to speak in a loud tone; shout
- to utter its characteristic cry, as a bird or animal
- to visit for a short while: with on or upon
- to ask that a person do something, esp. speak, as at a meeting: with on or upon
- to telephone
- ☆ Poker to equal the last previous bet
noun
- an act or instance of calling
- a loud utterance; shout
- the distinctive cry of an animal or bird
- a sound made in imitation of such a cry to attract an animal or bird
- a device that makes such a sound
- a summons to a meeting, rehearsal, etc.
- the calling up of a quota of men for military service
- a signal on a bugle, drum, etc.
- an act or instance of telephoning
- an economic demand, as for a product
- a request a call for aid
- an inner urging toward a certain action or profession, esp. a religious vocation regarded as divinely inspired
- an invitation to accept a position as a minister, teacher, etc.
- power to attract or allure the call of the wild
- need; obligation; occasion no call for tears
- an order or demand for payment
- a brief visit, esp. a formal or professional visit
- a direction given by a caller of square dances
- roll call
- an option to buy a given quantity of a stock, commodity, etc. at a specified price and within a specified time: calls are purchased in expectation of a rise in price
- Bridge a pass, bid, double, or redouble
- Sports an official's decision or ruling a good call by the umpire
- a decision “What do you want to do?” “I don't care— it's your call.”
call back
- to ask or command to come back
- to telephone again or in return
- to ask purchasers to return (an imperfect or dangerous product), often so that a manufacturing defect can be corrected; recall
call down
- to invoke
- ☆ Informal to scold sharply; rebuke
called to the bar
call for
- to demand; require an emergency that calls for extreme measures
- to come and get; stop for
- to predict the forecast calls for snow flurries tonight
call forth
call in
- to summon for help or consultation
- to take out of circulation, as coin or bonds
- to demand payment of
call into question
call off
- to order away; divert
- to read aloud in order from a list
- to cancel (a scheduled event)
call out
- to speak aloud; shout
- to summon into action
- to summon (workers) to strike
call time
call up
- to make someone remember; recall the aroma of freshly baked bread calls up fond memories
- to summon, esp. for military duty
- to telephone
- to retrieve (data) or access (a file, menu, etc.) and display on a computer screen
on call
- available when called for or summoned
- payable on demand
within call
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Alternate definitions:
call
n.
A shout
Characteristic sound
A brief visit
Word of command
signal, command, summons, calling up, bugle call, trumpet call, bell, cry, battle cry, rallying cry, reveille, taps, last post, Sanctus bell, angelus; see also alarm 1, command 1, cry 1.An invitation
bidding, solicitation, request, proposal; see appeal 1, invitation 1, request.
on call
within call
call
v.
To raise the voice
To address or label as
To bring a body of people together
collect, convene, assemble, convoke, muster, rally; see also assemble 2.To invite
summon, request, ask, beckon, bid come; see also invite 1, summon 1.To request or demand
charge, order, call upon, entreat; see ask 1, command 1, invite 2, summon 1.To estimate
guess, make a rough calculation, say it is; see estimate 1, 2.To telephone
To arouse
To declare
To visit briefly
call, in this comparison, is the basic word signifying to request the presence of someone at some place he called the waiter over; summon, a more formal term, implies authority or peremptoriness in the request to summon a witness; convoke and convene refer to the summoning of a group to assemble, as for deliberation or legislation, but convoke implies greater authority or formality to convene a class, to convoke a congress; invite suggests a courteous request for someone's presence, esp. as a guest or participant, and usually suggests that the decision to come rests with the invited
Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Converse of object
- receive: Each house has a communal telephone which will receive incoming calls.
Preposition: on
- government: I know that you are calling on the Government to provide more money to housing in the forthcoming spending review.
Followed by an intransitive particle
- upon: Indeed Such was called upon to make a couple of fine saves in his unfamiliar role.
Adjective modifier
- incoming: Each house has a communal telephone which will receive incoming calls.
Modifies a noun
- +44: Call +44 ( 0 ) 8706 082608 for bus services from the airport.
Noun used with modifier
- phone: She was located using SMS messages because the phone signal was not strong enough for phone calls.
Used with why or when
- What: It's called What 's a Girl Gotta Do?
Preposition: for
- inquiry: Some campaigners have called for a government inquiry into violence carried out by fathers given access to children.
The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.
You say potato and I say po-tah-to You say tomato and I say to-mah-to Let's call the whole thing off!
OnereasonItry toget peopletocall me Newt istobreak down barriers. It's a whole lot easier for someone to say, 'Newt, you've got a spot on your tie,'than it is to say 'Congressman'.
Consciousness, then, does not appear to itself chopped up in bits. Such words as 'chain'or 'train'do not describe it fitly as it presents itself in the first instance.It is nothing jointed; it flows. A'river'or a 'stream'are the metaphors by which it is most naturally described. In talking of it hereafter, let us call it the stream of thought, of consciousness, or of subjective life.
Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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MLA Style
"call." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009
- Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
- <www.yourdictionary.com/call>
APA Style
call. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary
- Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/call

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