call

Less common meanings

8. 8
   decisionnouncountable or uncountable

   A decision or judgment.

   Canceling the match was the right call.

   Referees make dozens of calls a game.

   UsageCommon in a good call, a tough call and it's your call; make the call means decide.

   Similardecision, judgment, choice, ruling

   Note

   A decision treated as something spoken, much like the referee's ruling but applied to any judgment: a good call, a tough call, it's your call. Fair call works as a concession. It is a way of agreeing that someone else's point is reasonable, even when it goes against you.

9. 9
   verbintransitive

   To cry out or shout, or to say something in a loud, clear voice.

   Call louder so he can hear you over the wind.

   Someone called from the far bank.

   UsageTo aim the shout at someone, use to: call to the nurse. Call out is also common.

   Similarshout, yell, cry

10. 10
    a shoutnouncountable or uncountable

    A cry or shout made by a person, or the typical cry of a bird or other animal.

    The shepherd's call carried down the valley.

    Their calls echoed off the cliffs.

    Similarcry, shout, yell

11. 11
    nouncountable or uncountable

    A beckoning or summoning.

    The sea's call was too strong for him.

    She could not resist the call of the mountains.

    UsageUse of to name the source of an attraction or summons: the call of the wild, the call of duty.

    Similarlure, pull, draw, allure, summons

    Note

    The summons as something felt rather than heard. In the plural it returns to literal requests, as in calls for help.

12. 12
    verbtransitive

    To describe and comment on a sports event as it happens, for listeners or viewers on radio, television, or the internet.

    Few broadcasters ever get the chance to call a World Cup final.

    He called every match of the tournament for an online streaming service.

    Similarcommentate, announce

13. 13
    verbtransitive

    In sports, to make a decision as a referee or umpire.

    The referee called a foul on the defender.

    You can't call a penalty from there.

    UsageOften passive with the verdict: called offside, was called out; or call a foul on a player.

    Similaraward, give

    Note

    The official's verb, where a ruling is made by saying it. The judgment itself, good or bad, is the noun for a decision.

14. 14
    predictverbtransitive

    To predict or declare in advance how something will turn out.

    My grandmother called the storm two days before the forecasters noticed anything.

    It's still far too early to call how the playoffs will turn out.

    UsageCommon in too early to call and called it (guessed right).

    Similarpredict, forecast

15. 15
    accuseverbtransitive

    To openly declare that some trickery or wrongdoing is taking place by naming it.

    Readers were quick to call foul.

    He called shenanigans the moment he saw the figures.

    UsageUsually a bare noun, then on: call foul on them, call shenanigans on it.

    Similarcry, allege

    Note

    Accusation by announcement: the speaker names the wrong out loud, usually with a single noun such as foul, shenanigans, or something ruder.

16. 16
    claim firstverbcolloquialtransitive

    To claim something that is available to whoever asks first, such as a seat or a role.

    Whoever calls the window seat gets it.

    I call shotgun every time we drive.

    UsageUsually I call + the thing: I call shotgun, I call the window seat.

    Similarclaim, bag

17. 17
    cancelverbtransitive

    To stop an activity, such as a game, search, or project, before it is finished, for example because of rain, darkness, or poor results.

    The umpires may call the game if the rain does not stop soon.

    Rain had been falling for hours, so the organizers called the race with only half the laps finished.

    Similarabandon, end, cancel, scrap, terminate

18. 18
    nouncountable or uncountable

    Need or necessity, used in negative statements such as there is no call for that.

    There was no call to shout at the waiter like that.

    There's no call for you to apologize; it wasn't your fault.

    UsageTakes for + noun or to + verb: no call for rudeness, no call to shout.

    Similarneed, reason, cause

    Note

    Banks's Wakefield Words (1865) records the dialect form "There worn't noa call for nowt o't'soart", and the idea lives on in the adjective uncalled-for. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Banks's Wakefield glossary was first published in 1865; Wakefield Words is a shortened reference to A List of Provincial Words in Use at Wakefield. en.wikipedia.org
    • Banks records the quoted dialect example under call, meaning need or necessity. en.wiktionary.org
19. 19
    drop byverbintransitive

    To pay a social visit, often with on, round, or at.

    Whenever she was in the village, she would call on her old teacher for tea.

    She called at the vicarage every Sunday.

    UsageCall on a person, call at a place. Call round can stand alone or take a phrase such as to their house.

    Similarvisit, stop

    Note

    In a shop, call again is the salesperson's invitation to come back, a farewell more than a request.

20. 20
    short visitnouncountable or uncountable

    A brief visit paid to someone, typically for social reasons.

    In my grandmother's day, a polite afternoon call at a neighbor's house never lasted more than a quarter of an hour.

    She paid calls on her neighbors every Tuesday afternoon.

    UsageYou pay a call on someone, or pay them a call.

    Similarvisit

    Note

    Cowper's baker makes a punctual call at the door, and a 1938 guest apologizes for outstaying a call, a reminder that a call was meant to be brief. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

    • William Cowper describes a baker's punctual call at the door in The Task, Book I. en.wikisource.org
    • The guest Podson apologizes for outstaying a call in Norman Lindsay's Age of Consent. en.wiktionary.org
    • Age of Consent was first published in 1938. openlibrary.org
    • A call denotes a short social visit. en.wiktionary.org
21. 21
    declare deathverbtransitive

    To formally recognize a death, especially by announcing and recording its time, place, and fact.

    The doctor called it after forty minutes of CPR.

    Only a physician can call a death here.

    Similarpronounce, declare

    Note

    A hospital usage in which saying the death makes it official: let's call it, time of death 08:45. In medical writing the formula is time of death was called at 1634 hours, with twenty-four-hour time and no a.m., p.m. or o'clock. Outside medicine the phrase is borrowed for letting go of a plan or a dream. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • The illustrative death announcement gives the time as 08:45. en.wiktionary.org
    • The wording “Time of death was called at 1634 hours” is attested in a medical-transcription textbook. en.wiktionary.org
    • The restriction on a.m., p.m. and o'clock applies to the twenty-four-hour notation used in the example. en.wiktionary.org
22. 22
    match a betverbintransitive

    In poker, to match the amount other players are currently betting.

    Fold, call or raise, those are the choices.

    He called every bet to the river.

    Similarsee, match

    Note

    Poker gives a player three answers to a bet: call, raise (or reraise) and fold. Calling means putting in exactly enough to match the current bet, so if Jane raises to $1600, calling means bringing your own bet up to $1600. The hand stays alive without pushing the stakes higher. The verb needs no object, because the bet being matched is understood. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • The usual responses to an existing bet are to call, raise or fold. pokerstars.com
    • Calling matches the current bet without raising it. pokerstars.com
    • The caller adds the difference between $1600 and their existing contribution in that betting round, assuming sufficient chips. A player who has already bet $800 adds $800. poker.cs.ualberta.ca
23. 23
    nouncountable or uncountable

    In poker, the act of matching a bet made by a player who has already bet in the same round.

    A quick call usually means a strong hand.

    Calls, raises and folds are the three replies to a bet.

    Note

    The noun for the move made by the poker verb: one bet matched by another in the same round. It sits beside the raise and the fold as one of the three replies a bet can get. A call keeps a player in the hand without adding pressure. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • A call matches an existing bet or raise. en.wikipedia.org
    • Call, raise and fold are the three standard responses to a bet. pokerstars.es
    • Calling keeps the player in the hand by matching rather than increasing the wager. gamepoint.helpshift.com
24. 24
    verbtransitive

    In team sports, to choose the play or tactic the team will run next and signal it to the players.

    In this offense, the quarterback is free to call his own plays at the line of scrimmage.

    The setter called a quick attack, and the middle hitter spiked the ball straight down.

    Similarpick, choose

25. 25
    verbintransitive

    Of a train, ship or similar vessel or vehicle, to stop at a station or port along its route.

    Express trains call only at the larger stations along the line.

    The overnight ferry calls at two small islands before reaching the mainland.

    UsageUses at: the train calls at Reading.

    Similarstop

    Note

    The use grew out of the visiting sense, so each stop is pictured as a brief visit, the same picture behind a ship's call at a port. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • The stopping sense developed from the visiting sense, also reflected in a ship's call at a port. en.wikisource.org
26. 26
    nouncountable or uncountable

    A visit that a ship or boat makes to a port.

    The freighter's last call before crossing the Pacific was Honolulu.

    Navy ships need permission in advance for port calls abroad.

    UsageShips make a call at a port. A port where a ship stops is a port of call.

    Similarstop, visit

    Note

    Ships make a call at a port, and a harbor on a ship's regular route is a port of call, a phrase now borrowed loosely for any stop on a journey, including a busy person's errands. Navies and cruise lines speak of port calls when a ship puts in for supplies, rest or sightseeing. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

    • The nautical expression port of call has a figurative extension to other places visited. en.wiktionary.org
27. 27
    duty shiftnoununcountable

    A work shift during which one must be available whenever requested.

    Who has call on Christmas Day?

    Surgery call means sleeping by the phone.

    UsageUsed without a: take call, have call tonight; a specialty can come first: surgery call.

    Note

    Hospital shorthand: the noun of on call with the on dropped. Stage work uses call for a scheduled shift too, separating a work call from a show call.

28. 28
    verbtransitive

    To jump to another part of a program, such as a function, which performs some operation and then returns control to the original point.

    The game's main loop must call the drawing routine sixty times a second.

    When the user clicks Save, the program calls a function that writes the file to disk.

    Similarinvoke

    Note

    Calling is how a program reuses code. The caller usually passes values in, the called function runs, and execution picks up right after the call. A function that calls itself is recursive. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts

    • Function calls allow a program to reuse code. learn.microsoft.com
    • The caller can pass input values as arguments. learn.microsoft.com
    • Calling a function executes its code. learn.microsoft.com
    • On return, execution resumes immediately after the call. learn.microsoft.com
    • A function that calls itself is recursive. learn.microsoft.com
29. 29
    nouncountable or uncountable

    In computing, a jump to a subprogram that keeps a record of where to return when it is finished.

    Each call pushes a new frame onto the stack.

    The profiler showed thousands of calls to the same slow function.

    Similarinvocation

    Note

    Programmers count calls the way accountants count transactions: a profiler reports how many calls a function received and how long they took. Each call needs its own record of where to return, usually kept on the call stack, so a program that makes too many nested calls can run out of room. Function call is the everyday compound. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • A profiler reports function call counts and execution times. docs.python.org
    • Return information is commonly saved on the call stack, but this is not required for every call; Arm leaf functions can keep it in the link register. documentation-service.arm.com
    • Excessively deep nesting of calls can exhaust stack space. docs.oracle.com
30. 30
    nouncountable or uncountableabbreviationellipsis

    Short for call option: a contract giving the right, but not the obligation, to buy an asset at a set price on or before a set date, as the contract allows.

    He bought a call on the airline stock with a strike price of $50.

    The call expired worthless when the shares fell after the earnings report.

    Note

    Traders use the short form freely: they buy, sell and write calls, and give the strike price alongside, as in a $50 call. The matching right to sell is a put, and the two words are often used as a pair. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

    • In the example, $50 identifies the call's strike price. optionseducation.org
    • A put gives its holder the right to sell the underlying instrument. prd-web.optionseducation.org
31. 31
    nounarchaiccountable or uncountable

    The work a person does as a trade or occupation, or the work they feel drawn to do.

    Note

    An archaic use that a modern writer would replace with calling, vocation or occupation, since call on its own is now read as a summons or a phone call rather than someone's line of work. The older idea of work as something one is summoned to survives in the call a church extends to a new pastor. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

    • The historical idea of a calling connected ordinary work with a summons or divinely appointed duty. en.wikipedia.org
    • A church can extend a call to a pastor to serve its congregation. blcbcs.org
32. 32
    wake (morning)verbtransitive

    To wake a sleeping person, for instance at an hour they have asked for.

    The camp counselor called the children at seven, and by half past they were washed and dressed.

    If you're worried about oversleeping, ask the front desk to call you at six.

    Similarwake, awaken, rouse, waken, arouse

33. 33
    bring into doubtverbtransitive

    With 'into', to cause something to be verbally subjected to doubt, question or a similar state.

    Don't call her honesty into question.

    The whole plan has been called into doubt.

    UsageFixed with into, often passive: call into question, called into doubt.

    Similarbring, throw, put

    Note

    A fixed frame with into, where the noun after into is a state of being challenged: call into doubt, call into question, and, in Emerson Hough's 1910 prose, call into query. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Emerson Hough used the exact phrase “call into query” in the narration of The Purchase Price; Or, The Cause of Compromise. gutenberg.org
    • The work containing Hough's phrase was published in 1910. gutenberg.org
34. 34
    nouncountable or uncountable

    A statement in a game, such as bridge, craps, or jacks, announcing a particular condition or rule.

    My partner hesitated for a long time before making her call, a bold jump to four spades.

    Players must make their calls aloud.

    Similarbid, declaration

35. 35
    verbtransitive

    To demand that a loan be repaid.

    After the company missed two payments, its lenders called the loan.

    Banks can call a loan if the borrower breaks its terms.

    UsageThe loan is the object, not the borrower: the bank called the loan.

    Note

    This is the lender's verb: a bank calls a loan when it demands the money back before the schedule runs out, often because the borrower has missed payments or broken the terms. It runs the opposite way from calling a bond, where the borrower chooses to pay off the debt early. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • A lender calling a loan demands immediate repayment before its scheduled completion; payment defaults and breaches of loan terms can trigger this. seacen.org
    • For a callable bond, the issuer—the borrower—can choose to repay the debt before maturity. investor.gov
36. 36
    verbtransitive

    To make it known, or give the order, that an organized event such as a meeting, an election or a strike is going to be held.

    Union leaders threatened to call a strike if the contract talks failed.

    The governor called a special election to fill the empty Senate seat.

    UsageCommon in call a meeting, call an election, call a strike.

    Similarannounce, declare, order, schedule

    Oppositecancel

37. 37
    verbtransitive

    To describe a person or thing as having some quality or as being some type, often when judging or accusing them.

    You can't call a plan reckless when you haven't even read it.

    Critics called the film a bold experiment that never quite worked.

    UsageThe object, then the description: call the plan reckless, call him a liar.

    Similarlabel, brand, dub, term

38. 38
    nouncountable or uncountable

    A pipe or other device that mimics the cry of a bird or animal in order to lure it closer, often used in hunting.

    The guide sounded a wooden call that mimicked a wounded rabbit, and a coyote soon trotted into view.

    Elk hunters practice with their calls for weeks before the season opens.

39. 39
    noun

    The right to address a debate, meeting, or other public event at a given time; the floor.
40. 40
    verb

    To name a particular tune for one's band to perform next.
41. 41
    verbdialectalYorkshire

    To rebuke or tell off someone sharply.
42. 42
    verb

    Of trouble or misfortune, to arrive and strike someone, as when hard times come knocking.
43. 43
    verbobsolete

    To show what sort or class someone or something belongs to, so that it can be recognized.

    This ſpeech calls him Spaniard, being nothing but / A large inventory of his own commendations.

    c. 1608, Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher
44. 44
    verb

    In cricket, of a batter, to shout to the batting partner whether a run should be attempted.
45. 45
    verb

    To shout, as a fielder, that one will take the catch so teammates stay clear and do not collide.
46. 46
    verb

    In games like pool or billiards, to announce beforehand which shot one is going to play.
47. 47
    verbnonstandard

    In poker, to match the bet on the table with the plan of raising during that same turn, a move most rules do not allow.
48. 48
    verb

    In games like bridge or craps, to make a declaration or claim the benefit of a rule.
49. 49
    verb

    Of a borrower, to give notice of paying off a bond or other debt before it falls due, usually at a premium.
50. 50
    noun

    In cricket, a shout from one batter to the partner about whether to run.
51. 51
    noun

    In cricket, the responsibility of being the batter who decides whether to run, which depends on the direction the ball is hit.
52. 52
    noun

    A horn signal used in hunting to urge the hounds on.
53. 53
    noun

    A shrill pipe that a boatswain or the boatswain's mate blows to order the crew to their work.
54. 54
    noun

    An invitation from a congregation asking a minister to become its pastor.
55. 55
    nounUS

    In a deed or land survey, a stated landmark, direction or distance that ought to match a real feature on the ground.
56. 56
    nounslang

    A paid sexual appointment between a sex worker and a customer.
57. 57
    noun

    A lawyer identified by the year they were admitted to the bar, as in a 1990 call.