OpenSynonym

call

/kɔːl/

NOUN

1. A telephone conversation

A communication between people using a telephone or another voice communication device.

1.1. Telephone conversation

A conversation or communication conducted by telephone, including personal, business, and conference calls.

Synonyms

  • phone call
  • telephone conversation
  • telephone call

Examples

  • She made a conference call to discuss the project with her team.
  • Call me when you're ready to leave for the airport.
  • Please call your mother to let her know you'll be home late.

Related Words

NOUN

2. A short visit

A brief visit to a person or place, usually for social or business purposes.

2.1. Social or personal visit

A brief visit to someone's home or another place, often made to greet someone or spend a short time with them.

Synonyms

Examples

  • We paid a short call on our neighbors yesterday afternoon.
  • She made a friendly call to her former teacher.

Related Words

2.2. A ship's visit to a port

A scheduled or brief visit by a ship or boat to a port during its voyage.

Synonyms

  • port visit
  • port of call

Examples

  • The ship made its final call at the port before returning home.
  • The cruise itinerary includes a call at several Mediterranean ports.

Related Words

NOUN

3. A cry or shout

A loud vocal expression used to attract attention, communicate, warn, or express an emotion.

3.1. Loud vocal expression

A sound made by shouting or crying out, often to attract someone's attention or communicate over a distance.

Synonyms

Examples

  • A loud call from the hallway startled everyone in the room.
  • She heard a desperate call for help coming from the street.

Related Words

3.2. A warning or signal

A vocal or audible signal used to alert people to danger, announce an event, or communicate a specific message.

Synonyms

Examples

  • The guard gave a warning call when he noticed movement near the entrance.
  • An alarm call alerted the workers to the approaching storm.

Related Words

NOUN

4. A characteristic sound made by an animal

A distinctive vocal sound produced by a bird or another animal to communicate with others.

4.1. Bird and animal vocalization

A characteristic cry, song, or vocal signal produced by an animal, often for communication, mating, territorial display, or warning.

Synonyms

Examples

  • The bird's distinctive call echoed through the forest.
  • Researchers recorded the mating calls of several frog species.

Related Words

NOUN

5. A summons or request to appear

An act of calling or inviting someone to come to a particular place or take part in an activity.

5.1. Summoning someone

A request, signal, or order asking someone to come, attend, or report to a particular place.

Synonyms

Examples

  • The manager issued a call for all employees to attend the meeting.
  • At the sound of the captain's call, the sailors gathered on deck.

Related Words

NOUN

6. A decision or judgment

A decision, determination, or judgment made about a situation, action, or outcome.

6.1. Decision or judgment

A determination made by a person with authority or responsibility, especially when choosing between alternatives or evaluating a situation.

Synonyms

Examples

  • The referee made a difficult call during the final minutes of the match.
  • It was ultimately the manager's call to approve the proposal.

Related Words

  • ruling
  • finding
  • conclusion
  • assessment
  • evaluation

NOUN

7. The right to speak

The recognized opportunity or permission to speak during a debate, meeting, or other public discussion.

7.1. Speaking opportunity in a debate

The formal right or turn to address an audience or participate in a discussion, especially in a parliamentary or debating setting.

Synonyms

  • the floor
  • speaking turn
  • right to speak

Examples

  • The chairperson gave her the call to address the assembly.
  • Once the speaker had the floor, no one interrupted the presentation.

Related Words

NOUN

8. An option to buy stock

A financial contract that gives its holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy a specified stock or other asset at a predetermined price within a specified period.

8.1. Financial call option

A type of options contract that gives the buyer the right to purchase an underlying asset at a specified strike price before or at expiration.

Synonyms

  • call option
  • purchase option

Antonyms

  • put option

Examples

  • The investor purchased a call option on the company's shares.
  • A call option allows its holder to buy the underlying stock at the agreed price.

Related Words

  • strike price
  • expiration date
  • stock option
  • derivative
  • underlying asset

NOUN

9. A signal or decision in cricket

A verbal announcement made by a batsman to communicate with the other batsman, particularly when deciding whether to run between wickets.

9.1. Batsman's running call

A verbal signal given by one batsman to indicate whether the players should run, remain in place, or return to their crease.

Synonyms

  • running call
  • verbal signal

Examples

  • The batsman's call sent his partner sprinting toward the opposite wicket.
  • A clear call between the batsmen helps prevent confusion when running.

Related Words

  • batsman
  • wicket
  • run
  • crease
  • cricket

NOUN

10. A work shift requiring availability

A period of work during which an employee must remain available to work when requested, even if not continuously at the workplace.

10.1. On-call work duty

A scheduled period during which a worker, such as a doctor or technician, must be ready to respond to work requests or emergencies.

Synonyms

  • on-call duty
  • standby duty
  • on-call shift

Examples

  • The doctor is on call throughout the weekend.
  • The technician received a call during his overnight on-call shift.

Related Words

NOUN

11. A function invocation in programming

The execution of a subprogram or function from another point in a computer program, with control returning to the original point after the operation is completed.

11.1. Function or subprogram invocation

An instruction that transfers program execution to a function, procedure, or subroutine and resumes the calling code when execution finishes.

Synonyms

  • function call
  • invocation
  • subroutine call

Examples

  • The function call passes two arguments to the calculation routine.
  • Each call to the subprogram returns a result to the main program.

Related Words

  • function
  • method
  • procedure
  • callback
  • return statement

NOUN

12. A declaration or bid in a game

A statement that declares a particular action, value, or commitment in a game or competition.

12.1. Game declaration or bid

A verbal declaration made during a game, such as a bid or announcement of an intended action in bridge, craps, or another game.

Synonyms

Examples

  • Her call in the bidding round changed the direction of the bridge game.
  • Each player must make a call before the next stage begins.

Related Words

NOUN

13. Matching another player's bet

The act of matching a bet that another player has already made during the same round of betting.

13.1. Matching a bet

A betting action in which a player contributes an amount equal to the previous bet to remain in the round.

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • fold

Examples

  • She made the call after considering the other player's bet.
  • A player must call the current bet or fold to leave the hand.

Related Words

NOUN

14. A hunting horn signal

A musical note or series of notes played on a horn to encourage or direct hunting dogs.

14.1. Hunting horn signal

A distinctive sound blown on a hunting horn to communicate instructions or encourage dogs during a hunt.

Synonyms

  • horn signal
  • hunting signal

Examples

  • The huntsman sounded a call on his horn to encourage the dogs.
  • The familiar horn call signaled the beginning of the hunt.

Related Words

  • hunting horn
  • hound
  • hunt
  • bugle
  • signal

NOUN

15. A boatswain's whistle signal

A note or signal produced by a whistle or pipe used by a boatswain to summon sailors or communicate orders aboard a ship.

15.1. Nautical whistle command

A traditional signal sounded on a boatswain's pipe to summon sailors, announce duties, or communicate commands aboard a vessel.

Synonyms

  • whistle signal
  • pipe signal

Examples

  • The boatswain sounded the call to summon the crew to their stations.
  • Sailors recognized the familiar pipe call announcing the next duty.

Related Words

  • boatswain
  • boatswain's pipe
  • sailor
  • deck
  • nautical signal

NOUN

16. An instrument used to imitate animal sounds

A whistle, pipe, or other device designed to imitate the sounds of birds or animals to attract or summon them.

16.1. Bird or game call device

A device that imitates the vocal sounds of birds or other animals to attract them, often for observation or hunting.

Synonyms

  • game call
  • bird call
  • animal call

Examples

  • The hunter used a game call to imitate the sound of a duck.
  • A bird call can help attract certain species for observation.

Related Words

NOUN

17. A religious vocation

An invitation or sense of duty to serve a church or religious community, especially in the role of a pastor or minister.

17.1. Pastoral appointment

An invitation extended to a person to take charge of or serve a congregation as its pastor or religious leader.

Synonyms

  • pastoral invitation
  • pastoral appointment

Examples

  • The minister accepted a call to serve a congregation in another town.
  • The church extended a call to the candidate after the selection process.

Related Words

17.2. Sense of religious vocation

A strong inner feeling or conviction that one is meant to pursue religious service or a particular spiritual responsibility.

Synonyms

Examples

  • She felt a call to devote her life to religious service.
  • He regarded teaching as his calling and ministry.

Related Words

NOUN

18. A vocation or employment

A person's occupation, profession, or work regarded as a suitable or meaningful pursuit.

18.1. Occupation or profession

A type of work or career that a person feels suited to perform or considers a meaningful part of their life.

Synonyms

Examples

  • She discovered her call in helping children learn.
  • He considered medicine his true vocation.

Related Words

NOUN

19. A descriptive reference in a land survey

A reference or description of an object, direction, distance, or other feature in a survey or land grant that requires a corresponding feature on the land.

19.1. Survey description or boundary reference

A specified direction, distance, or physical feature used in a land survey or legal property description to identify a corresponding point or boundary.

Synonyms

  • survey description
  • boundary reference

Examples

  • The surveyor checked each call in the property description against the physical boundary markers.
  • An inaccurate call in the land survey can create confusion about a property's boundaries.

Related Words

  • survey
  • boundary
  • land grant
  • property line
  • landmark

VERB

20. To use one's voice

To produce a vocal sound or use one's voice to communicate, attract attention, or express something.

20.1. Shouting or crying out

Using one's voice loudly to attract attention, communicate over a distance, or express an urgent message.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples

  • Call me when you're ready to leave for the airport.
  • It's important to call emergency services if you witness an accident.

Related Words

20.2. Calling or summoning someone

Using one's voice or another signal to ask someone to come, respond, or attend a particular place.

Synonyms

Examples

  • The teacher called each student's name during roll call.
  • The captain called the sailors to the deck.

Related Words

  • request
  • assemble
  • convene
  • send for
  • alert

20.3. Making a telephone call

Communicating with someone by telephone or another voice communication device.

Synonyms

Examples

  • Please call your mother to let her know you'll be home late.
  • I will call the office to confirm the appointment.

Related Words

20.4. Making animal sounds

Producing a characteristic vocal sound, often to imitate or communicate with birds or other animals.

Synonyms

Examples

  • The bird called from the branches above.
  • The hound called loudly when it picked up the scent.

Related Words

VERB

21. To visit someone or somewhere

To pay a visit to a person or place, usually for a short time.

21.1. Making a brief visit

Going to see someone or visiting a place, often briefly or for a particular purpose.

Synonyms

Examples

  • We plan to call on our relatives during the holiday.
  • She called in at the office to collect some documents.

Related Words

  • come over
  • swing by
  • pop in
  • stop in
  • call on

VERB

22. To name, identify, or describe

To give someone or something a name, label, title, or particular description.

22.1. Naming or identifying

Assigning a name or designation to a person, place, or thing, or identifying it by a particular name.

Synonyms

Examples

  • They decided to call their new company Horizon.
  • The teacher called the student by her full name.

Related Words

22.2. Describing or classifying

Describing or classifying someone or something as having a particular quality, identity, or status.

Synonyms

  • describe as
  • regard as
  • consider
  • deem

Examples

  • Many people call the region a natural paradise.
  • The committee called the proposal an important step forward.

Related Words

VERB

23. To require or demand something

To need, request, or demand something, or to consider it necessary for a particular purpose.

23.1. Requiring or demanding

Expressing that something is necessary or should be provided, performed, or done.

Synonyms

Examples

  • The situation calls for immediate action.
  • The job calls for patience and careful attention to detail.

Related Words

23.2. Appealing or asking for action

Making a formal or urgent request for assistance, action, support, or a particular response.

Synonyms

Examples

  • The organization called for greater support for local communities.
  • The report calls on officials to improve public safety.

Related Words

VERB

24. To announce the early repayment of a debt

To announce that a debt or financial security will be repaid before its scheduled maturity date, usually under specified terms.

24.1. Early redemption of debt

Declaring that a bond or other debt obligation will be redeemed before its normal maturity date, often at a predetermined premium.

Synonyms

  • redeem
  • retire
  • prepay

Examples

  • The company decided to call its outstanding bonds before their maturity date.
  • The issuer announced that the bonds would be redeemed at a premium.

Related Words

VERB

25. To demand repayment of a loan

To formally request or require that a borrower repay a loan or outstanding amount.

25.1. Requesting loan repayment

Demanding that a borrower repay money that has been lent, according to the terms of the loan agreement.

Synonyms

  • demand repayment
  • request repayment
  • collect

Examples

  • The bank called the loan after the borrower repeatedly missed payments.
  • The lender may call the outstanding amount if the agreement permits it.

Related Words

VERB

26. To transfer program execution

To direct a computer program to execute a function, procedure, or subprogram and then return to the original point of execution.

26.1. Calling a function or subprogram

Transferring program control to another function, procedure, or subroutine so that it can perform an operation before execution resumes.

Synonyms

Examples

  • The main program calls a function to calculate the total.
  • The application calls the subroutine whenever new data is received.

Related Words