call¹ /köl/

1. To cry aloud, speak loudly, shout (often with out)
2. Of an animal or bird, to utter a cry or characteristic sound
3. To make a short visit (with on, for, at)
4. To make a telephone call
5. To demand that a player show his hand after repeated raising of stakes (poker)
6. To try to predict the result of tossing a coin
7. To make a bid (bridge)

To declare (trump suit, etc)

1. To name
2. To summon or request to be present
3. To rouse from sleep or from bed
4. To designate or reckon
5. To select for a special office, eg to the Bar
6. To telephone
7. To read out the names in (a roll)
8. To demand the repayment of (a debt, loan, redeemable bonds, etc)
9. To give the order for (a strike)
10. To make a call (sport)
11. To demand the playing of (an exposed card) (poker)
12. To apply (an offensive name) to (informal)
13. To broadcast a commentary on (a race, etc) (Aust and NZ)
14. To transfer control to (a subroutine) (computing)

1. A summons or invitation (to the witness box, the telephone, the stage or rehearsal, etc)
2. A sense of vocation
3. A demand
4. An act of waking someone
5. A short visit
6. A signal by trumpet, bell, etc
7. A telephone connection or conversation, or a request for one
8. Occasion, cause (informal)
9. A declaration or undertaking, or the right to make it in turn (cards)
10. A direction in square dancing
11. A decision on the status of a shot, articulated by an umpire or (esp tennis) a line judge (sport)
12. A cry, esp of a bird
13. Admission to the rank of barrister
14. An invitation to the pastorate of a congregation
15. (also call option) an option of buying within a certain time certain securities or commodities at a stipulated price (stock exchange)
16. The money paid to secure such an option
17. One instalment of the payment for newly-issued securities

callˈer noun

callˈing noun

Vocation, an occupation or profession

call alarm noun

A small radio transmitter used, esp by elderly people living alone, to summon help in an emergency

callˈ-at-large noun

A form of pastoral call sometimes adopted by a presbytery where a congregation is not unanimous, in which the name of the person to be called is not inscribed beforehand, and the names cannot be adhibited by mandate

callˈ-back noun

1. A return telephone call
2. An act of recalling

callˈ-barring noun (telecommunications)

The ability to restrict outgoing telephone calls to certain numbers

callˈ-bird noun

A bird trained to lure others into snares by its call

callˈ-box noun

A public telephone-box

callˈ-boy noun

A boy who calls the actors when they are required on stage

call centre noun

A building where workers provide services to a company's customers by telephone

Caller ID noun

A facility which displays the telephone number of an incoming call

call gapping noun

A technique used to prevent congestion in telephone systems by limiting the number of calls that can pass through the network at any time

callˈ-girl noun

A prostitute who arranges appointments with clients by telephone

call house noun

A house of prostitution

calling card noun

1. A visiting card
2. Anything that reveals the identity of a person (figurative)

callˈing-crab noun

The fiddler crab, which waves its larger claw when disturbed

callˈ-loan or callˈ-money noun (finance)

A loan or money called in for repayment or payable when demanded

callˈ-note noun

The note by which a bird or animal calls to its own kind

call option noun (stock exchange) see n above.

call-out see call out below.

call sign or call signal noun (communications)

A combination of letters and numbers, identifying a particular ship, aircraft, transmitter, etc

callˈtime noun

1. Time available for use in making calls on a mobile phone
2. The time used on a single phone call

callˈ-up noun

An act of calling up, esp conscription into the armed forces

call waiting noun (telecommunications)

The ability to accept an incoming telephone call routed by another number while holding a call on one's own number

call attention to

To point out

call away

To divert the mind

call back

1. To recall
2. To visit again
3. To telephone again

call by

To visit briefly in passing

call collect (N American)

To make a reverse-charge telephone call

call cousins

To claim kindred

call down

1. To invoke
2. To rebuke, reprove sharply and angrily (esp US informal)

call for

1. To come for and take away with one
2. To ask loudly for
3. To demand
4. To require (calledˈ-for required, necessary; not called for uncalled-for)

call forth

To evoke

call in

1. To bring in from public use old currency notes, etc (banking)
2. To demand repayment of (a debt, etc)
3. To call to one's help (eg a doctor, the police)
4. To withdraw from circulation
5. To withdraw (eg an application)

call in on

To visit briefly and informally

call in (or into) question

To challenge, cast doubt on

call off

1. To order to come away
2. To withdraw or back out
3. To cancel or abandon

call of nature (euphemistic)

A need to urinate or defecate

call on or upon

1. To invoke, appeal to
2. To make a short visit to

call out

1. To challenge to fight, eg a duel
2. To summon to service, bring into operation
3. To instruct (members of a trade union) to come out on strike
4. To request or arrange a visit (eg of a repairman, service engineer; callˈ-out noun and adjective)

call over

To read aloud (a list)

call round

To visit informally

call the shots (orig US) or call the tune

To say what is to happen, to order, or to be in command

call to account see under account

call to mind

To recollect, or cause to recollect

call to order

1. To call upon (participants) to observe the rules of debate
2. (of a chairman) to announce that a formal meeting is starting

call up

1. To summon eg to a tribunal, to esp military service, or to memory
2. To telephone
3. To display (information, data, etc on a computer screen)

have first call on

To have the right to use (something) in preference to anyone else

it's your, his, etc call

It is up to you, him, etc to make a decision

• prelude
• preluded
• preludes
• preludi
• preludial
• preluding
• preludio
• preludious
• prelusive
• prelusively
• prelusorily
• prelusory
• prem
• premandibular
• premandibulars
• premarital
• premature
• prematurely
• prematureness
• prematurenesses
• prematurities
• prematurity
• premaxilla
• premaxillae
• premaxillaries