call
[verb]
Synonyms:
- name, christen, describe as, designate, dub, entitle, label, style, term
- cry, arouse, hail, rouse, shout, yell
- phone, ring up (informal, chiefly Brit.), telephone
- summon, assemble, convene, gather, muster, rally
[noun]
Synonyms:
- cry, hail, scream, shout, signal, whoop, yell
- summons, appeal, command, demand, invitation, notice, order, plea, request
- need, cause, excuse, grounds, justification, occasion, reason

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Contrasted words: murmur, whisper
Related Words: bawl, bellow, hoot, howl, roar, scream, screech, shriek, shrill, whoop, yowl, assemble, collect, gather, round up, bid, invite, cheep, chirp, peep, twitter, warble

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English Thesaurus: phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice mail, text message, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

CALL /kɔːl $ kɒːl/ noun [uncountable]
(computer-assisted language learning) the use of computers to help people learn foreign languages

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

I. call¹ S1 W1 /kɔːl $ kɒːl/ verb
[Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old Norse; Origin: kalla]

1. TELEPHONE [intransitive and transitive] to telephone someone:
She calls her father every couple of days.
I’ll call you soon.
What time did Tony call?
call a doctor/the police/a cab etc (=telephone someone and ask them to come to you)
I think we should call a doctor.
I’m gonna call the cops!
► Do not say ‘call to someone’. Say call someone.

2. DESCRIBE [transitive] to use a word or name to describe someone or something in a particular way
call somebody something
Are you calling me a liar?
You may call it harmless fun, but I call it pornography.
call somebody names (=use insulting names for someone)
The other kids used to call me names, but I tried to ignore them.

3. HAVE A NAME [transitive] to have a particular name or title, or use a particular name or title for someone or something
be called something
Our son is called Matthew.
The arrow that appears on the screen is called a cursor.
call somebody something
My name’s Virginia, but my friends call me Ginny.
Do you want to be called Miss or Ms?
call somebody by something
I prefer to be called by my middle name.

4. GIVE SOMEBODY/SOMETHING A NAME [transitive] especially British English to give someone or something the name they will be known by in the future Synonym : name American English:
What are you going to call the new puppy?
call somebody something
They’ve decided to call the baby Louise.

5. ASK/ORDER BY SPEAKING [transitive] to ask or order someone to come to you
call somebody into/over/across etc
Peter called the waitress over and ordered a large brandy.
Marcie was called up to the principal’s office.

6. ARRANGE [transitive] to arrange for something to happen at a particular time
call a meeting/strike/election etc
The Security Council has called an emergency session to discuss the crisis.
According to the law, the election must be called within the next two months.

7. SAY/SHOUT [intransitive and transitive] to say or shout something loudly so that someone can hear you:
I heard someone calling in the distance.
‘I’m coming!’ she called down the stairs.
Sheila was just sneaking out when her mother called her.
She heard him call her name.

8. call yourself something to say that you are a particular type of person, although you do nothing to show this is true:
How could Julian call himself a friend and then let me down so badly?

9. call the shots/tune informal to be in a position of authority so that you can give orders and make decisions:
It was a job in which she was able to call the shots.

10. call it a day informal to decide to stop working, especially because you have done enough or you are tired:
Come on, let’s call it a day and go home.

11. call collect American English to make a telephone call that is paid for by the person who receives it Synonym : reverse the charges British English

12. READ NAMES [transitive] (also call out) to read names or numbers in a loud voice in order to get someone’s attention:
When I call your name, go and stand in line.

13. COURT [transitive usually passive] to tell someone that they must come to a law court or official committee
call somebody to do something
They were called to give evidence at the trial.

14. call (something) into question to make people uncertain about whether something is right, good, or true:
I feel that my competence is being called into question here.

15. be/feel called to do something to feel strongly that you should do something:
He felt called to write to all his fellow investors, warning them of the impending crisis.

16. call somebody/something to order formal to tell people to obey the rules of a formal meeting

17. VISIT [intransitive] (also call round British English) to stop at a house or other place for a short time to see someone or do something:
She called round for a chat.
call on somebody
Let’s call on James on the way home.
call (in) at something
I regularly called in at his office for news.
call into something
People often call into the library while they’re out shopping.

18. call it £10/two hours etc spoken used to suggest a general figure rather than a more specific one, especially in order to make things simpler:
‘I owe you £10.20.’ ‘Oh, call it £10!’

19. call it a draw if two opponents in a game call it a draw, they agree that neither of them has won ⇒ call it quits at quits(2)

20. call it/things even spoken use this to say that someone who owes you something does not have to give you anything more than they have already given you

21. call (sb’s) attention to
a) to ask people to pay attention to a particular subject or problem:
May I call your attention to item seven on the agenda?
b) to make someone notice someone or something:
I wanted to shout out to Ken, but I didn’t want to call attention to myself.

22. call something to mind
a) to remind you of something:
Don’t those two call to mind the days when we were courting?
b) to remember something:
I couldn’t call to mind where I’d seen him before.

23. call a huddle American English informal to make people come together to talk about something

24. call time (on somebody/something) to say that it is time for something to finish or stop

25. TRAINS/SHIPS [intransitive] if a train, ship, bus etc calls at a place, it stops there for a short time Synonym : stop:
This train calls at all stations to Broxbourne.

26. COIN [intransitive and transitive] to guess which side of a coin will land upwards when it is thrown in the air, in order to decide who will play first in a game:
It’s your turn to call.

27. CARD GAME [intransitive and transitive] to risk the same amount of money as the player who plays before you in a poker game
⇒ so-called, ⇒ call sb’s bluff at bluff²(2), ⇒ too close to call at close²(8)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. call² S1 W1 noun

1. TELEPHONE [countable] when you speak to someone on the telephone
call for
Were there any phone calls for me while I was out?
call from
I received a call from an old friend last week.
It’s cheaper to make calls after 6 pm.
I’ll give you a call at the weekend.

2. be on call if someone such as a doctor or engineer is on call, they are ready to go and help whenever they are needed as part of their job:
Don’t worry, there’s a doctor on call 24 hours a day.

3. SHOUT/CRY [countable]
a) a loud sound that a bird or animal makes Synonym : cry
call of
the call of an owl
b) a shout that you make to get someone’s attention

4. VISIT [countable] a visit, especially for a particular reason:
Sorry, Doctor Pugh is out on a call at the moment.
pay/make a call (on somebody) (=visit someone)

5. REQUEST/ORDER [countable] a request or order for something or for someone to do something:
Members obediently answered the calls for funds.
call for somebody to do something
There have been calls for the secretary to resign.
a call to arms (=an order for people to fight against an enemy)

6. DECISION
a) [countable] the decision made by a referee in a sports game
make a good/bad call
There may have been a few bad calls, but they’re making them for a reason.
b) [singular] informal a decision:
Don’t just say what you think I would like. It’s your call.
make a call (=decide something)
an easy/hard call (=an easy or difficult decision)
judgement call (=a decision based on your personal judgement of a situation)

7. there isn’t much call for something used for saying that not many people want a particular thing:
There isn’t much call for black and white televisions these days.

8. there is no call for something spoken used to tell someone that their behaviour is wrong and unnecessary:
There’s no call for that kind of language!

9. AT AN AIRPORT [countable] a message announced at an airport that a particular plane will soon leave:
This is the last call for flight BA872 to Moscow.

10. have first call on something
a) to have the right to be the first person to use something
b) to be the first person that you will help because they are important to you:
Her children had first call on her time.

11. the call of something literary the power that a place or way of life has to attract someone:
the call of the sea

12. the call of nature a need to urinate (=pass liquid from your body) – used especially humorously
⇒ be at sb’s beck and call at beck(1), ⇒ port of call, roll-call, wake-up call

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

call
noun
I. on the telephone
ADJ. phone/telephone | long | quick, short I'll just make a quick phone call.
local | international, long-distance, trunk | direct-dialled | incoming | outgoing | emergency | anonymous, hoax, nuisance, obscene, unsolicited | wake-up I ordered a wake-up call for 6.30 the next morning.
(figurative) Last night's defeat should be a wake-up call for the team.
VERB + CALL give sb, make, place Give us a call to say when you have arrived. She asked her secretary to place a call through to England.
get, have, receive | answer, take I'll take the call upstairs.
return I left a message but he didn't return my call.
put through, transfer Ask the receptionist to put your call through to my room.
CALL + NOUN box
PREP. ~ for Were there any calls for me while I was out?
~ from You had a call from Fred.
~ to I made a call to a friend in London.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

call
II. sound to attract attention
ADJ. loud | distinctive the distinctive call of the cuckoo
plaintive the bird's plaintive call
distress | bird | clarion, rallying (both figurative) This election is a clarion call for our country to face the challenges of the new era.
VERB + CALL let out | hear
PREP. ~ for a call for help

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

call
III. short visit
ADJ. business, courtesy, social
VERB + CALL make, pay (sb) The doctor has several calls to make this morning.
PREP. on a ~ She's out on a call.
~ on Her first call was on the local library.
PHRASES first/last/next port of call Our first port of call (= the first place we went to) was the chemist's.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

call
IV. request/demand
ADJ. renewed, repeated | last This is the last call for passengers travelling on British Airways flight 199 to Rome.
strike
VERB + CALL issue | renew Drink-drive campaigners have renewed their call for the introduction of random breath tests.
answer, heed, respond to Around 10,000 workers heeded the union's strike call.
reject
PREP. ~ for The charity issued a call for donations to assist victims of the earthquake.
PHRASES a call to arms (= a strong request for people to fight in the army) (figurative) The president's speech was a call to arms to restore the vitality of the American dream.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

call
verb
ADV. commonly | originally | collectively a range of very small organisms, collectively called nanoplankton
variously a plant variously called ‘cow parsley’ and ‘Queen Anne's lace’
aptly | quaintly | euphemistically The prison is euphemistically called a ‘rehabilitation centre’.
PREP. by We usually call him by his nickname.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

call

call for an end to something
Demonstrators have called for an end to the fighting.
call for sb’s resignation
Opposition parties called for the President’s resignation.
call for action
The European Parliament have called for action on age discrimination.
call for a ban
French farmers have called for a ban on imports.
call for a boycott
In 1980 he called for a boycott of the Olympic Games.
call for a change
Scientists are calling for a change in the law.
call for an inquiry/investigation
Relatives have called for an inquiry into the causes of the plane crash.
call for a return to something
The Prime Minister called for a return to traditional Labour values.
call for reform
The Church has called for reform of the law.
call for the abolition of something
Human Rights groups have called for the abolition of the death penalty.
call for a ceasefire (=for an end to a war)
The United Nations called for an immediate ceasefire.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

call
verb
1.
BAD: Last night I tried to call to my father back home in Turkey.
GOOD: Last night I tried to call my father back home in Turkey.
BAD: Please call to 945 8026.
GOOD: Please call 945 8026.

Usage Note:
call/ring/telephone a person, place or number (WITHOUT to ): 'Call me tonight and we'll make arrangements for the morning.' 'If you're sure that it's been stolen, you'd better call the police.'

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2.
BAD: If you receive this note, please phone call me.
GOOD: If you receive this note, please call/ring me.
GOOD: If you receive this note, please give me a call/ring.

Usage Note:
The verb is call/ring/phone/telephone (NOT phone call ).
Phone call is a noun: 'I need to make one or two phone calls.'

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3.
BAD: Please call me with number 0248 312689.
GOOD: Please call me on 0248 312689.

Usage Note:
call sb on a particular number (British English)
call sb at a particular number (American English)

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4.
BAD: Koreans call this room as 'anbang'.
GOOD: Koreans call this room 'anbang'.
BAD: This process is called as nitrogen fixation.
GOOD: This process is called nitrogen fixation.

Usage Note:
call sb/sth + name (WITHOUT as ): 'People call her the Queen of Rock.' 'The big apples are called Red Delicious.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

phone (also telephone formal):
My wife was talking to someone on the phone.
What's your home phone number?
The nearest telephone was in the school secretary's office.
mobile phone British English (also mobile informal) a telephone that you can carry with you, that works by using a network of radio stations to pass on signals:
Even children as young as eight have mobile phones.
She always has her mobile switched off.
cell phone American English (also cell informal) a mobile phone:
You can reach me on my cell phone.
voice mail a system that records messages so that you can listen to them on your phone:
Let me check my voice mail.
text message (also text, SMS) a message from someone that you can read on your mobile phone:
I got a text from Paul.
landline a telephone that uses wires – used when comparing this with a mobile phone:
Calls cost 25p from a landline, more from a mobile phone.
receiver the part of a telephone that you pick up to listen and talk:
She put down the receiver and started crying.
call to phone someone. Call is used in both British and American English:
One of the neighbors called the police.
Call me later.
ring British English spoken to phone someone. Ring is more informal than phone or call:
I can ring her at the office tomorrow.
give somebody a call (also give somebody a ring) spoken to phone someone:
If you ever come to Seattle, give me a call.
I’ll give the hospital a ring and see how he is.
telephone formal to phone someone:
Angry listeners telephoned the BBC to complain.
Skype /skaɪp/ trademark to make a telephone call using special software that allows you to make calls over the Internet:
I Skyped her last night and we spoke for hours.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

phone to speak to someone by telephone. Phone is more common in British English than American English:
I’ll phone you tomorrow.
call to phone someone. Call is used in both British and American English:
One of the neighbors called the police.
Call me later.
ring British English spoken to phone someone. Ring is more informal than phone or call:
I can ring her at the office tomorrow.
give somebody a call (also give somebody a ring) spoken to phone someone:
If you ever come to Seattle, give me a call.
I’ll give the hospital a ring and see how he is.
telephone formal to phone someone:
Angry listeners telephoned the BBC to complain.
Skype /skaɪp/ trademark to make a telephone call using special software that allows you to make calls over the Internet:
I Skyped her last night and we spoke for hours.
make a call
He made a few calls and then went out.
get/have a call (also receive a call formal)
At 11 in the evening we got a call from the police.
there is/was a call
There was a phone call for you.
answer a call
We’re sorry that we cannot answer your call right now.
take a call (=answer one)
Monica took the call upstairs.
return sb’s call (=call someone after they have tried to call you)
I left a message for her but she didn’t return my call.
expect a call
She’s expecting a phone call from Matt.
transfer a call (=connect one to another person’s phone)
The call was transferred to his secretary.
put through a call (=transfer or make one)
She asked the switchboard to put the call through.
a phone/telephone call
I had a phone call from Barbara in Australia.
a quick call
This is just a quick call to make sure you’re OK.
a local call
Local calls are free at weekends.
a long-distance call
I’d like to make a long-distance call.
an international call
a collect call American English (=one paid for by the person who receives it)
Can I make a collect call to Florida, please?
incoming/outgoing calls (=coming into or going out of a place)
You have to dial 9 first to make an outgoing call.
an emergency call (=to the police, fire service, or ambulance service)
The police normally respond immediately to an emergency call.
a hoax call (=one intended to trick someone)
They received a hoax call warning of a bomb in the building.
an anonymous call (=in which the caller does not give their name)
The £10,000 demand was made in an anonymous call to his home.
a crank call (=made by someone you do not know, as a joke or to annoy you)
The heavy breathing sounded like a crank call.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

shout to say something very loudly:
The two men were shouting angrily at each other.
‘Wait for me!’ he shouted.
yell (also holler American English) to shout very loudly, especially because you are angry, excited, or in pain. Yell is more informal than shout:
The children were yelling at each other across the street.
‘Steve, are you there?’ Patti hollered up the stairs.
call (out) to shout in order to get someone’s attention:
He called her name but she didn’t hear him.
‘Is anybody there?’ he called out.
cry (out) written to shout something loudly, especially because you are in pain, frightened, or very excited:
‘I can’t move,’ Lesley cried.
He cried out in panic.
‘Look what I’ve found!’ she cried.
scream to shout in a very loud high voice, because you are frightened, unhappy, angry etc:
The baby wouldn’t stop screaming.
She screamed as she jumped into the cold water.
‘It’s my money!’ she screamed at him.
roar written to shout in a loud deep voice:
The crowd roared their appreciation.
‘Stop this nonsense!' he roared.
bellow written to shout in a loud deep voice, especially when you want a lot of people to hear you:
He was bellowing orders at the soldiers.
bawl to shout in a loud and unpleasant way, because you are angry or unhappy:
‘What are you doing?’ he bawled.
The kids were bawling in the back of the car.
She was always bawling at the children.
raise your voice to say something more loudly than normal, especially because you are angry:
I never heard my father raise his voice.
cheer if a group of people cheer, they shout as a way of showing their approval:
The crowd cheered when the band came on stage.
a loud scream
Suddenly I heard a loud scream.
a shrill/piercing/high-pitched scream (=with a very high sound)
The sound of gunfire mingled with the shrill screams of the injured.
a bloodcurdling scream (=very frightening)
With a blood-curdling scream, he threw himself at Paul.
a terrified scream (=by someone who is terrified)
I let out a terrified scream and scuttled down the stairs.
a terrible scream (=by someone suffering great pain or fear)
We were woken late that night by the most terrible screams.
a little scream
Mrs Wood gave a little scream.
a muffled/stifled scream (=made quieter, for example by putting a hand over someone’s mouth)
No one heard her muffled screams.
let out a scream
He let out a piercing scream.
give a scream
She gave a scream of delight.
a scream of laughter/delight
We could hear the children’s screams of laughter.
a scream of pain/terror/agony
My screams of terror awoke my parents.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

call
kɔ:l
See: at call , at one's beck and call , close call , on call , port of call , pot calls the kettle black , within call

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲