call Hear it!

call Definition

call (kôl)

transitive verb

  1. to say or read in a loud tone; shout; announce to call the names of stations
  2. to command or ask to come; summon call him to supper
  3. to summon to a specific duty, profession, etc. the army called him
  4. to convoke judicially or officially to call a meeting
    1. to give or apply a name to call the baby Ann
    2. to designate they called her a cheat
  6. to consider or describe as specified I call it silly
  7. to direct (attention) to
  8. to awaken call me at six
  9. to communicate with by telephone
  10. to give orders for to call a strike
  11. ☆ to stop or halt game called because of rain
  12. to demand or order payment of (a loan or bond issue)
  13. to utter or chant directions for (a square dance)
  14. ☆ to imitate the sounds of in order to attract (a bird or animal)
    1. in pool, to describe (the shot one plans to make)
    2. to predict
  16. ☆
    1. Poker to equal (the preceding bet) or to equal the bet of (the last previous bettor)
    2. to challenge on, or force to account for, something said or done
    3. to expose (someone's bluff) by such action
  17. ☆ Sports
    1. to declare officially to be the umpire called him out
    2. 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

  1. to speak in a loud tone; shout
  2. to utter its characteristic cry, as a bird or animal
  3. to visit for a short while: with on or upon
  4. to ask that a person do something, esp. speak, as at a meeting: with on or upon
  5. to telephone
  6. ☆ Poker to equal the last previous bet

noun

  1. an act or instance of calling
  2. a loud utterance; shout
    1. the distinctive cry of an animal or bird
    2. a sound made in imitation of such a cry to attract an animal or bird
    3. a device that makes such a sound
    1. a summons to a meeting, rehearsal, etc.
    2. the calling up of a quota of men for military service
  5. a signal on a bugle, drum, etc.
  6. an act or instance of telephoning
  7. an economic demand, as for a product
  8. a request a call for aid
  9. an inner urging toward a certain action or profession, esp. a religious vocation regarded as divinely inspired
  10. an invitation to accept a position as a minister, teacher, etc.
  11. power to attract or allure the call of the wild
  12. need; obligation; occasion no call for tears
  13. an order or demand for payment
  14. a brief visit, esp. a formal or professional visit
  15. a direction given by a caller of square dances
  16. roll call
  17. 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
  18. Bridge a pass, bid, double, or redouble
    1. Sports an official's decision or ruling a good call by the umpire
    2. a decision “What do you want to do?” “I don't care— it's your call.”

call Idioms

call back

  1. to ask or command to come back
  2. to telephone again or in return
  3. to ask purchasers to return (an imperfect or dangerous product), often so that a manufacturing defect can be corrected; recall

call down

  1. to invoke
  2. ☆ Informal to scold sharply; rebuke

called to the bar

Brit. admitted to the practice of law as a barrister

call for

  1. to demand; require an emergency that calls for extreme measures
  2. to come and get; stop for
  3. to predict the forecast calls for snow flurries tonight

call forth

to bring into action or existence

call in

  1. to summon for help or consultation
  2. to take out of circulation, as coin or bonds
  3. to demand payment of

call into question

to raise a question or doubt about

call off

  1. to order away; divert
  2. to read aloud in order from a list
  3. to cancel (a scheduled event)

call out

  1. to speak aloud; shout
  2. to summon into action
  3. to summon (workers) to strike

call time

Sports to suspend play temporarily

call up

  1. to make someone remember; recall the aroma of freshly baked bread calls up fond memories
  2. to summon, esp. for military duty
  3. to telephone
  4. to retrieve (data) or access (a file, menu, etc.) and display on a computer screen

on call

  1. available when called for or summoned
  2. payable on demand

within call

close enough to hear if called

call Synonyms

call

n.

  1. A shout

    yell, cry, whoop, hail; see alarm 1, cry 1, yell 1.

  2. Characteristic sound

    cry, song, note, shriek; see cry 2.

  3. A brief visit

    stop, visiting, a few words, afternoon call; see visit.

  4. 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.

  5. An invitation

    bidding, solicitation, request, proposal; see appeal 1, invitation 1, request.

on call

ready, prepared, alerted, standing by; see available.

within call

close by, not far away, within earshot; see near 1.

call Synonyms

call

v.

  1. To raise the voice

    shout, call out, cry out, exclaim; see cry 3, greet, yell.

  2. To address or label as

    name, denominate, designate, term; see describe, name 1.

  3. To bring a body of people together

    collect, convene, assemble, convoke, muster, rally; see also assemble 2.

  4. To invite

    summon, request, ask, beckon, bid come; see also invite 1, summon 1.

  5. To request or demand

    charge, order, call upon, entreat; see ask 1, command 1, invite 2, summon 1.

  6. To estimate

    guess, make a rough calculation, say it is; see estimate 1, 2.

  7. To telephone

    phone, call up, ring; see telephone.

  8. To arouse

    stir, awaken, shake; see wake 1.

  9. To declare

    announce, proclaim, pronounce; see declare 1.

  10. To visit briefly

    make a visit, call on, stop by, drop in; see visit 2, 4.

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

call Finance Definition

The right, but not the obligation, to sell a security at a predetermined price.

call Law Definition

n

  1. In property law, an identifiable natural landmark that serves to delineate the boundary of land. See also metes and bounds.
  2. A demand for the payment of money or the delivery of a security, such as a bond, by someone entitled to make such a demand. See also puts and calls.

call Telecom Definition

  1. In telecommunications, a connection through a telephone network in support of a communication between two or more stations. A call comprises a sequence of events that begins when an end user at an originating station initiates a call request to a switch that may work in conjunction with other switches to establish a connection to an end user at a destination station, and concludes when one party (user) terminates the connection. In other words, a call encompasses the operations required to set up or establish, maintain, and terminate or release a connection.
  2. In switching systems, a demand to set up a connection between two or more stations.
  3. A telephone conversation between two or more simultaneously present end users. In other words, a real-time telephone conversation between two or more live people.
  4. The attempt to reach someone by telephone, whether successful or not, in other words, a call attempt.
  5. In computing, the act of causing a program, routine, or subroutine to execute.

call Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • receive: Each house has a communal telephone which will receive incoming calls.
  • answer: Bracing himself for the worst he answered the call.
  • please: If the product you require is not on our website please call or email for a price!
  • reject: Michael Evans, " Nato rejects call to cut nuclear arms " , The Times, London, 9 December 1998.

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.
  • wake-up: However, that moment provided the wake-up call Crystal Palace needed, who soon turned up the heat on the visitors.
  • outgoing: Working alongside your existing phone cable, it offers Internet access without disrupting incoming or outgoing calls.
  • inbound: Voice menu You can create voice menus to manage and redirect inbound calls.

Modifies a noun

  • +44: Call +44 ( 0 ) 8706 082608 for bus services from the airport.
  • center: We also offer a 24-hour emergency call center service to help out anyone with problems.
  • center: Call center that national associations from at walter s obvious violations by.
  • handling: As Chris Warren concludes: The career materials we are developing are starting to focus on customer management... rather than just the call handling.

Noun used with modifier

  • phone: She was located using SMS messages because the phone signal was not strong enough for phone calls.
  • telephone: I managed to find Lenny's telephone number and gave him a telephone call.
  • emergency: We also offer a 24-hour emergency call center service to help out anyone with problems.
  • conference: To view the transcript of the conference call, go to www.j-sainsbury.co.uk on 23 June 2006.

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.