call

SayKAWL/kɔl//kɔːl//koːl/

Verbcalls, calling, called

Noun pluralcalls

57 meanings of call

Practice

1
nameverbtransitive
To give someone or something a name or use that name for them, as in 'they called the dog Max'.
We called the puppy Biscuit because of his brown fur.
What is this flower called?
UsageAsk What is it called? (not ~~incorrect: How is it called?~~)
Similarname, term
Note
2
phoneverbtransitive or intransitive
To phone a person or place.
Please call the dentist and change my appointment to Tuesday.
She called the office twice.
UsageSay call me, with no word in between (not ~~incorrect: call to me~~).
Similarphone, ring, telephone
3
nouncountable or uncountable
When you phone someone, or the talk you have with them on the phone.
During the call, we planned our trip.
The call lasted an hour.
UsageMake a call, take a call, be on a call.
4
verbintransitive
To ask for someone or something to come, often used with 'for'.
The baby woke up crying, and I heard her call for her mom.
The coach called for a doctor when the player fell.
UsageUse call for before what you want: call for help, call for a doctor.
Similarask, send, appeal
Note
5
loosely termverbtransitive
To say roughly what something is, without being exact.
Let's call it ten miles.
They call it a two-hour drive, but it usually takes three.
UsageCall it ten means about ten. Call it a day means stop work.
Similarmake, say, reckon, consider, estimate
Note
6
verbtransitive
To need something or make it necessary, often used with 'for'.
This calls for a celebration.
Some jobs call for patience above all.
UsageUsually call for: the recipe calls for eggs.
Similarrequire, demand, need, warrant, necessitate
Note
7
nouncountable
A public request for something to happen, or an invitation to send in work such as papers.
After the storm, the mayor made a call for everyone to stay calm and help their neighbors.
The magazine put out a call for short stories by young writers.
UsageUsually a call for something.
Similarappeal, demand, plea

Less common meanings

8
decisionnouncountable or uncountable
A decision or choice that someone makes.
Leaving early to beat the traffic was the right call.
It's your call whether we go on.
UsageIt's your call means you decide.
Similardecision, judgment, choice, ruling
Note
9
verbintransitive
To shout, or to say something loudly and clearly so others hear.
"Watch out for the car!" called the woman across the street.
I heard someone call from upstairs, but I missed the words.
UsageSay call to someone, or call out.
Similarshout, yell, cry
10
a shoutnouncountable or uncountable
A loud sound a person or animal makes with its voice, often as a signal.
We heard the call of an owl in the trees at night.
A call for help came from the water.
Similarcry, shout, yell
11
nouncountable or uncountable
A request or signal for someone to come, or a strong feeling that draws you toward something.
Every summer, he feels the call of the ocean and drives to the coast.
He answered the call of duty.
UsageUse of to show what draws someone: the call of the sea, the call of duty.
Similarlure, pull, draw, allure, summons
Note
12
verbtransitive
To tell listeners or viewers what is happening during a sports event, on radio, TV, or online.
My uncle wants to call baseball games on the radio someday.
She called the big game for a local TV station last night.
Similarcommentate, announce
13
verbtransitive
In sports, to decide what happened, as a referee or umpire does.
The last pitch was called a strike, and the crowd booed.
Umpires call the close ones as they see them.
UsageSay call a foul; a player is called out.
Similaraward, give
Note
14
predictverbtransitive
To say ahead of time what will happen, such as how a coin will land.
He called the result a week before the vote.
Nobody can call the market with certainty.
UsageToo early to call means nobody can say yet.
Similarpredict, forecast
15
accuseverbtransitive
To say openly that something is false or unfair.
The reporter called foul on the senator's claim about crime.
If the numbers look wrong, someone should call foul right away.
UsageSay call foul on something.
Similarcry, allege
Note
16
claim firstverbcolloquialtransitive
To claim something before anyone else can.
I call the front seat on the way home!
You can't call the last slice, I called it first.
UsageSay I call the front seat.
Similarclaim, bag
17
cancelverbtransitive
To stop something, like a game or a search, before it is finished.
The game was called because of rain.
Someone had to call the search when night fell.
Similarabandon, end, cancel, scrap, terminate
18
nouncountable or uncountable
A need or good reason, used with words like no or not.
There's no call to get so upset about a game.
We had no call to worry, because everything turned out fine.
UsageSaid as there's no call for that.
Similarneed, reason, cause
Note
19
drop byverbintransitive
To visit someone for a short time, often used with 'on', 'round' or 'at'.
The engineer called round while you were out.
We should call on Grandma this weekend and take her some apples.
UsageCall on a friend; call at a house.
Similarvisit, stop
Note
20
short visitnouncountable or uncountable
A short visit to see someone, often to be polite.
The new pastor made a call on every family in the church.
After church, we paid a quick call on Grandma.
UsagePay a call on someone.
Similarvisit
Note
21
declare deathverbtransitive
In medicine, to state officially that a person has died, and when.
The nurse asked the doctor to call the time of death.
The doctor called the time of death at 3:15.
Similarpronounce, declare
Note
22
match a betverbintransitive
In poker, to put in the same amount that another player has bet.
I'll call your two hundred.
She called and turned over a pair of kings.
Similarsee, match
Note
23
nouncountable or uncountable
In poker, the act of matching another player's bet.
Her call cost her the rest of her chips.
Three calls and a raise brought the pot to a thousand.
Note
24
verbtransitive
In a team sport, to pick the next play the team will run and let the players know.
Our coach likes to call every play himself from the sideline.
The point guard called a play by holding up two fingers.
Similarpick, choose
25
verbintransitive
Of a train or ship, to stop at a station or port.
The train will call at every station on the line.
Our ship called at a small port to pick up food.
UsageSay the train calls at a station.
Similarstop
Note
26
nouncountable or uncountable
A stop that a ship or boat makes at a port.
Our ship made a call at a small island to get fresh water.
The ferry's first call is the north harbor.
UsageA regular stop is a port of call.
Similarstop, visit
Note
27
duty shiftnoununcountable
A work shift when someone, such as a doctor, must be ready if needed.
The nurse can't come to the party because she has call on Saturday.
Residents dread a weekend of call.
UsageNo a: take call.
Note
28
verbtransitive
In a computer program, to jump to another part of the program and come back when it is done.
Your code should call this function before it saves the file.
When you click the button, the app calls a function that checks spelling.
Similarinvoke
Note
29
nouncountable or uncountable
In computer programs, a jump to another part of the program that remembers where to come back to.
One call to this function can take several seconds.
The bug was hidden in a call that ran before the file was open.
Similarinvocation
Note
30
nouncountable or uncountableabbreviationellipsis
Short for call option: the right to buy shares or other things at a set price on or before a set date.
She bought a call because she thought the price would go up.
If the stock stays low, the call is worth nothing.
Note
31
nounarchaiccountable or uncountable
A person's work or job, or the work they feel they are meant to do.
Note
32
wake (morning)verbtransitive
To wake someone up from sleep.
I was still asleep when Dad came into my room to call me at six.
Could you call me at six? I need to get up early.
Similarwake, awaken, rouse, waken, arouse
33
bring into doubtverbtransitive
Used with 'into' to make people doubt or question something.
His conclusion was called into doubt.
New evidence may call the verdict into question.
UsageSay call something into question.
Similarbring, throw, put
Note
34
nouncountable or uncountable
In games like bridge or craps, what a player says, such as a bid or number.
Her first call in the bridge game was one heart.
The calls in bridge follow a strict order.
Similarbid, declaration
35
verbtransitive
To tell someone they must now pay back a loan.
The bank may call the loan if you miss a payment.
When her shop closed, the bank called her loan.
UsageSay the bank called the loan.
Note
36
verbtransitive
To make an event like a meeting, an election or a strike happen by announcing it or ordering it.
The principal will call a meeting with all the parents next week.
The workers called a strike after the company cut their pay.
UsageSay call a meeting or call a strike.
Similarannounce, declare, order, schedule
Oppositecancel
37
verbtransitive
To say that someone or something is a certain way or kind of thing, often to judge or blame them.
Please don't call me lazy just because I slept late.
The other kids called him a cheater after the game.
UsageSay call someone lazy.
Similarlabel, brand, dub, term
38
nouncountable or uncountable
A tool, such as a pipe, that copies the sound of a bird or animal to bring it closer.
He blew into the call, and a turkey answered from the woods.
She keeps two calls in her hunting bag, one for geese and one for ducks.
39
noun
In a parliament, debate or public meeting, the right to speak at that moment.
40
verb
To tell your band which song to play.
41
verbdialectalYorkshire
To speak angrily to someone about what they did wrong.
42
verb
Of trouble or bad luck, to come to someone.
43
verbobsolete
To show what kind of person or thing someone or something is.
This ſpeech calls him Spaniard, being nothing but / A large inventory of his own commendations.
c. 1608, Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher
44
verb
In cricket, to shout to your partner whether to run or stay.
45
verb
To shout, as a fielder, that you will catch the ball so others move away.
46
verb
To say before you hit which shot you will try.
47
verbnonstandard
In poker, to match a bet and then try to raise it in the same turn.
48
verb
In bridge, craps and other games, to announce something or ask for a rule to be used.
49
verb
To announce that a bond or loan will be paid back early, usually with something extra.
50
noun
In cricket, a shout telling your partner whether to run.
51
noun
In cricket, the job of deciding whether you and your partner should run.
52
noun
A sound played on a horn to make hunting dogs go on.
53
noun
A ship officer's whistle that orders the crew to their jobs.
54
noun
When a church asks a minister to come and lead it.
55
nounUS
A landmark or distance named in a land document that should match the land.
56
nounslang
A meeting where someone pays for sex.
57
noun
A lawyer, described by the year they first became a lawyer.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of call apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Old English ceallian and Old Norse kalla, both meaning "to call" or "to shout." They came from an older Germanic word for calling and shouting.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

English call derives from Old English ceallian and Old Norse kalla, both meaning to call or shout. en.wiktionary.org
Both words descend from an older Germanic verb meaning to call or shout, reconstructed as *kalzōną. en.wiktionary.org