call Definition
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 Idioms
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
Brit. admitted to the practice of law as a barrister
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
to bring into action or existence
call in
- to summon for help or consultation
- to take out of circulation, as coin or bonds
- to demand payment of
call into question
to raise a question or doubt about
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
Sports to suspend play temporarily
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
close enough to hear if called
call Synonyms
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 Synonyms
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
call Finance Definition
call Law Definition
n
- In property law, an identifiable natural landmark that serves to delineate the boundary of land. See also metes and bounds.
- 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
- 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.
- In switching systems, a demand to set up a connection between two or more stations.
- 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.
- The attempt to reach someone by telephone, whether successful or not, in other words, a call attempt.
- 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.
Browse dictionary entries near call
- ‹ calk
- ‹ calix
- ‹ calisthenics
- ‹ calisaya bark
- ‹ caliphate
- ‹ caliph
- ‹ caliper rule
- ‹ caliper
- ‹ calipee
- ‹ calipash

