/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 sick 1 (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. 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.