call

/kawl/, v.t.

1. to cry out in a loud voice; shout: He called her name to see if she was home.

2. to command or request to come; summon: to call a dog; to call a cab; to call a witness.

3. to ask or invite to come: Will you call the family to dinner?

4. to communicate or try to communicate with by telephone: Call me when you arrive.

5. to rouse from sleep, as by a call; waken: Call me at eight o'clock.

6. to read over (a roll or a list) in a loud voice.

7. to convoke or convene: to call Congress into session.

8. to announce authoritatively; proclaim: to call a halt.

9. to order into effect; establish: to call a strike.

10. to schedule: to call a rehearsal.

11. to summon by or as if by divine command: He felt called to the ministry.

12. to summon to an office, duty, etc.: His country called him to the colors.

13. to cause to come; bring: to call to mind; to call into existence.

14. to bring under consideration or discussion: The judge called the case to court.

15. to attract or lure (birds or animals) by imitating characteristic sounds.

16. to direct or attract (attention): He called his roommate's attention to the mess.

17. to name or address (someone) as: His parents named him James, but the boys call him Jim.

18. to designate as something specified: He called me a liar.

19. to think of as something specified; consider; estimate: I call that a mean remark.

20. to demand of (someone) that he or she fulfill a promise, furnish evidence for a statement, etc.: They called him on his story.

21. to criticize adversely; express disapproval of; censure: She called him on his vulgar language.

22. to demand payment or fulfillment of (a loan).

23. to demand presentation of (bonds) for redemption.

24. to forecast correctly: He has called the outcome of the last three elections.

25. Sports. (of an official)

a. to pronounce a judgment on (a shot, pitch, batter, etc.): The umpire called the pitch a strike.

b. to put an end to (a contest) because of inclement weather, poor field conditions, etc.: A sudden downpour forced the umpire to call the game.

26. Pool. to name (the ball) one intends to drive into a particular pocket.

27. (in a computer program) to transfer control of to a procedure or subroutine.

28. Cards.

a. to demand (a card).

b. to demand the display of a hand by (a player).

c. Poker. to equal (a bet) or equal the bet made by (the preceding bettor) in a round.

d. Bridge. to signal one's partner for a lead of (a certain card or suit).

v.i.

29. to speak loudly, as to attract attention; shout; cry: She called to the children.

30. to make a short visit; stop at a place on some errand or business: She called at the store for the package.

31. to telephone or try to telephone a person: He promised to call at noon.

32. Cards.

a. to demand a card.

b. to demand a showing of hands.

c. Poker. to equal a bet.

d. Bridge. to bid or pass.

33. (of a bird or animal) to utter its characteristic cry.

34. call away, to cause to leave or go; summon: A death in the family called him away.

35. call back,

a. to summon or bring back; recall: He called back the messenger. The actor was called back for a second audition.

b. to revoke; retract: to call back an accusation.

36. call down,

a. to request or pray for; invoke: to call down the wrath of God.

b. to reprimand; scold: The boss called us down for lateness.

37. call for,

a. to go or come to get; pick up; fetch.

b. to request; summon.

c. to require; demand; need: The occasion calls for a cool head.

38. call forth, to summon into action; bring into existence: to call forth her courage and resolve.

39. call in,

a. to call for payment; collect.

b. to withdraw from circulation: to call in gold certificates.

c. to call upon for consultation; ask for help: Two specialists were called in to assist in the operation.

d. to inform or report by telephone: Did he call in his decision this morning?

e. to participate in a radio or television program by telephone.

40. call in or into question. See question (def. 12).

41. call in sick. See sick¹ (def. 13).

42. call off,

a. to distract; take away: Please call off your dog.

b. to cancel (something) that had been planned for a certain date: The performance was called off because of rain.

43. call on or upon,

a. to ask; appeal to: They called on him to represent them.

b. to visit for a short time: to call on friends.

44. call out,

a. to speak in a loud voice; shout.

b. to summon into service or action: Call out the militia!

c. to bring out; elicit: The emergency called out her hidden abilities.

d. to direct attention to with a callout: to call out each detail in an illustration.

e. Informal. to challenge to a fight.

45. call to order. See order (def. 38).

46. call up,

a. to bring forward for consideration or discussion.

b. to cause to remember; evoke.

c. to communicate or try to communicate with by telephone.

d. to summon for action or service: A large number of Army reservists were called up.

e. Computers. to summon (information) from a computer system for display on a video screen: She called up the full text.

n.

47. a cry or shout.

48. the cry or vocal sound of a bird or other animal.

49. an instrument for imitating this cry and attracting or luring an animal: He bought a duck call.

50. an act or instance of telephoning: She went into a telephone booth to place her call.

51. a short visit: to make a call on someone.

52. a summons or signal sounded by a bugle, bell, etc.: We live so close to the fort that we can hear the bugle calls.

53. a summons, invitation, or bidding: The students gathered at the call of the dean.

54. a calling of a roll; roll call.

55. the fascination or appeal of a given place, vocation, etc.: the call of the sea.

56. a mystic experience of divine appointment to a vocation or service: He had a call to become a minister.

57. a request or invitation to become pastor of a church, a professor in a university, etc.

58. a need or occasion: He had no call to say such outrageous things.

59. a demand or claim: to make a call on a person's time.

60. a demand for payment of an obligation, esp. where payment is at the option of the creditor.

61. Cards.

a. a demand for a card or a showing of hands.

b. Poker. an equaling of the preceding bet.

c. Bridge. a bid or pass.

62. Sports. a judgment or decision by an umpire, a referee, or other official of a contest, as on a shot, pitch, or batter: The referees were making one bad call after another.

63. Theat.

a. a notice of rehearsal posted by the stage manager.

b. See act call.

c. See curtain call.

64. Dancing. a figure or direction in square dancing, announced to the dancers by the caller.

65. Also called call option. Finance. an option that gives the right to buy a fixed amount of a particular stock at a predetermined price within a given period of time, purchased by a person who believes the price will rise. Cf. put (def. 47).

66. Fox Hunting. any of several cries, or sounds made on a horn by the hunter to encourage the hounds.

67. on call,

a. payable or subject to return without advance notice.

b. readily available for summoning upon short notice.

68. take a call, to acknowledge the applause of the audience after a performance by appearing for a bow or a curtain call.

69. within call, within distance or range of being spoken to or summoned: Please stay within call.

[1200-50; late ME callen, prob. < ON kalla to call out, conflated with OE (West Saxon) ceallian to shout; c. MD kallen to talk, OHG kallôn to shout, akin to OE -calla herald, Ir gall swan, OCS glasu voice]

Syn. 2, 3, 12. CALL, INVITE, SUMMON imply requesting the presence or attendance of someone at a particular place. CALL is the general word: to call a meeting. To INVITE is to ask someone courteously to come as a guest, a participant, etc., leaving the person free to refuse: to invite guests to a concert; to invite them to contribute to a fund. SUMMON implies sending for someone, using authority or formality in making the request and (theoretically) not leaving the person free to refuse: to summon a witness, members of a committee, etc.

* * *