# call

Pronunciation: say "KAWL" US /kɔl/, UK /kɔːl/, AUS /koːl/

## Verb

1. To give someone or something a particular name, or to refer to them by it; often in the passive, to have as a name.
   - Simple: To give someone or something a name or use that name for them, as in 'they called the dog Max'.
   - _A baby swan is called a cygnet._
   - _The village was once called Thornbury._
2. To contact by telephone.
   - Simple: To phone a person or place.
   - _Call if you need anything._
   - _He called a number and waited._
4. To request, summon or beckon, often with 'for'.
   - Simple: To ask for someone or something to come, often used with 'for'.
   - _Could you call for the waiter? We're ready to order._
   - _Someone called for a doctor._
5. To describe or put a figure on something loosely or roughly, without strict accuracy.
   - Simple: To say roughly what something is, without being exact.
   - _Call it a hundred dollars and we're square._
   - _He calls it a short walk, but it takes an hour._
6. To require or demand, often with for.
   - Simple: To need something or make it necessary, often used with 'for'.
   - _Such crimes call for a stern response._
   - _The job calls for a steady hand._
9. To cry out or shout, or to say something in a loud, clear voice.
   - Simple: To shout, or to say something loudly and clearly so others hear.
   - _Call louder so he can hear you over the wind._
   - _Someone called from the far bank._
12. To describe and comment on a sports event as it happens, for listeners or viewers on radio, television, or the internet.
   - Simple: To tell listeners or viewers what is happening during a sports event, on radio, TV, or online.
   - _Few broadcasters ever get the chance to call a World Cup final._
   - _He called every match of the tournament for an online streaming service._
13. In sports, to make a decision as a referee or umpire.
   - Simple: In sports, to decide what happened, as a referee or umpire does.
   - _The referee called a foul on the defender._
   - _You can't call a penalty from there._
14. To predict or declare in advance how something will turn out.
   - Simple: To say ahead of time what will happen, such as how a coin will land.
   - _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._
15. To openly declare that some trickery or wrongdoing is taking place by naming it.
   - Simple: To say openly that something is false or unfair.
   - _Readers were quick to call foul._
   - _He called shenanigans the moment he saw the figures._
16. To claim something that is available to whoever asks first, such as a seat or a role. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To claim something before anyone else can.
   - _Whoever calls the window seat gets it._
   - _I call shotgun every time we drive._
17. To stop an activity, such as a game, search, or project, before it is finished, for example because of rain, darkness, or poor results.
   - Simple: To stop something, like a game or a search, before it is finished.
   - _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._
19. To pay a social visit, often with on, round, or at.
   - Simple: To visit someone for a short time, often used 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._
21. To formally recognize a death, especially by announcing and recording its time, place, and fact.
   - Simple: In medicine, to state officially that a person has died, and when.
   - _The doctor called it after forty minutes of CPR._
   - _Only a physician can call a death here._
22. In poker, to match the amount other players are currently betting.
   - Simple: In poker, to put in the same amount that another player has bet.
   - _Fold, call or raise, those are the choices._
   - _He called every bet to the river._
24. In team sports, to choose the play or tactic the team will run next and signal it to the players.
   - Simple: In a team sport, to pick the next play the team will run and let the players know.
   - _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._
25. Of a train, ship or similar vessel or vehicle, to stop at a station or port along its route.
   - Simple: Of a train or ship, to stop at a station or port.
   - _Express trains call only at the larger stations along the line._
   - _The overnight ferry calls at two small islands before reaching the mainland._
28. To jump to another part of a program, such as a function, which performs some operation and then returns control to the original point.
   - Simple: In a computer program, to jump to another part of the program and come back when it is done.
   - _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._
32. To wake a sleeping person, for instance at an hour they have asked for.
   - Simple: To wake someone up from sleep.
   - _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._
33. With 'into', to cause something to be verbally subjected to doubt, question or a similar state.
   - Simple: Used with 'into' to make people doubt or question something.
   - _Don't call her honesty into question._
   - _The whole plan has been called into doubt._
35. To demand that a loan be repaid.
   - Simple: To tell someone they must now pay back a loan.
   - _After the company missed two payments, its lenders called the loan._
   - _Banks can call a loan if the borrower breaks its terms._
36. 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.
   - Simple: To make an event like a meeting, an election or a strike happen by announcing it or ordering it.
   - _Union leaders threatened to call a strike if the contract talks failed._
   - _The governor called a special election to fill the empty Senate seat._
37. To describe a person or thing as having some quality or as being some type, often when judging or accusing them.
   - Simple: To say that someone or something is a certain way or kind of thing, often to judge or blame 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._

## Noun

3. An act of phoning someone, whether or not they answer, or the conversation held on the phone.
   - Simple: When you phone someone, or the talk you have with them on the phone.
   - _Can I take this call in the other room?_
   - _Halfway through our call, my brother admitted he had lost his job._
8. A decision or judgment.
   - Simple: A decision or choice that someone makes.
   - _Canceling the match was the right call._
   - _Referees make dozens of calls a game._
10. A cry or shout made by a person, or the typical cry of a bird or other animal.
   - Simple: A loud sound a person or animal makes with its voice, often as a signal.
   - _The shepherd's call carried down the valley._
   - _Their calls echoed off the cliffs._
7. A public appeal or demand that something happen or be done, or an open invitation to send in work such as papers.
   - Simple: A public request for something to happen, or an invitation to send in work such as papers.
   - _Protesters renewed their calls for an independent investigation into the shooting._
   - _The conference's call for papers closes on March 1, and decisions go out in May._
11. A beckoning or summoning.
   - Simple: A request or signal for someone to come, or a strong feeling that draws you toward something.
   - _The sea's call was too strong for him._
   - _She could not resist the call of the mountains._
18. Need or necessity, used in negative statements such as there is no call for that.
   - Simple: A need or good reason, used with words like no or not.
   - _There was no call to shout at the waiter like that._
   - _There's no call for you to apologize; it wasn't your fault._
20. A brief visit paid to someone, typically for social reasons.
   - Simple: A short visit to see someone, often to be polite.
   - _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._
23. In poker, the act of matching a bet made by a player who has already bet in the same round.
   - Simple: In poker, the act of matching another player's bet.
   - _A quick call usually means a strong hand._
   - _Calls, raises and folds are the three replies to a bet._
26. A visit that a ship or boat makes to a port.
   - Simple: A stop that a ship or boat makes at a port.
   - _The freighter's last call before crossing the Pacific was Honolulu._
   - _Navy ships need permission in advance for port calls abroad._
27. A work shift during which one must be available whenever requested.
   - Simple: A work shift when someone, such as a doctor, must be ready if needed.
   - _Who has call on Christmas Day?_
   - _Surgery call means sleeping by the phone._
29. In computing, a jump to a subprogram that keeps a record of where to return when it is finished.
   - Simple: In computer programs, a jump to another part of the program that remembers where to come back to.
   - _Each call pushes a new frame onto the stack._
   - _The profiler showed thousands of calls to the same slow function._
30. 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. — Ellipsis of call option.
   - Simple: Short for call option: the right to buy shares or other things at a set price on or before a set date.
   - _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._
34. A statement in a game, such as bridge, craps, or jacks, announcing a particular condition or rule.
   - Simple: In games like bridge or craps, what a player says, such as a bid or number.
   - _My partner hesitated for a long time before making her call, a bold jump to four spades._
   - _Players must make their calls aloud._
38. A pipe or other device that mimics the cry of a bird or animal in order to lure it closer, often used in hunting.
   - Simple: A tool, such as a pipe, that copies the sound of a bird or animal to bring it closer.
   - _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._

## Noun

31. The work a person does as a trade or occupation, or the work they feel drawn to do. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A person's work or job, or the work they feel they are meant to do.

## Other meanings

- (noun) The right to address a debate, meeting, or other public event at a given time; the floor.
- (verb) To name a particular tune for one's band to perform next.
- (verb) To rebuke or tell off someone sharply.
- (verb) Of trouble or misfortune, to arrive and strike someone, as when hard times come knocking.
- (verb) To show what sort or class someone or something belongs to, so that it can be recognized.
- (verb) In cricket, of a batter, to shout to the batting partner whether a run should be attempted.
- (verb) To shout, as a fielder, that one will take the catch so teammates stay clear and do not collide.
- (verb) In games like pool or billiards, to announce beforehand which shot one is going to play.
- (verb) 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.
- (verb) In games like bridge or craps, to make a declaration or claim the benefit of a rule.
- (verb) Of a borrower, to give notice of paying off a bond or other debt before it falls due, usually at a premium.
- (noun) In cricket, a shout from one batter to the partner about whether to run.
- (noun) In cricket, the responsibility of being the batter who decides whether to run, which depends on the direction the ball is hit.
- (noun) A horn signal used in hunting to urge the hounds on.
- (noun) A shrill pipe that a boatswain or the boatswain's mate blows to order the crew to their work.
- (noun) An invitation from a congregation asking a minister to become its pastor.
- (noun) In a deed or land survey, a stated landmark, direction or distance that ought to match a real feature on the ground.
- (noun) A paid sexual appointment between a sex worker and a customer.
- (noun) A lawyer identified by the year they were admitted to the bar, as in a 1990 call.

## Origin

Middle English callen came from two sources, Old English ċeallian ("to call, shout") and kalla, its Old Norse counterpart ("to call, shout, name"). Both trace back to Proto-Germanic *kalzōną ("to call, shout") and perhaps further to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to vocalize, call, shout," which is related to words for "voice" and "cry."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/call (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).