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call

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To request, summon.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

kawl
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈkɔl

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. Utter a sudden loud cry

  2. Utter a characteristic note or cry

  3. intransitive

    To request, summon, or beckon.

  4. heading

    To reach out with one's voice.

  5. transitive

    To utter in a loud or distinct voice.

  6. intransitive

    To cry or shout.

noun

  1. A telephone conversation; a phone call.

  2. A cry or shout.

  3. An instance of calling someone on the telephone.

  4. The characteristic cry of a bird or other animal.

  5. A beckoning or summoning.

  6. A short visit, usually for social purposes.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A1 · Beginner
Frequency
Very Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To request, summon, or beckon.

Used this way, call is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use call

  • “She was called into the director's office.”verb
  • “I tried to call you all night.”verb
  • “The mayor likes to call on some of the prominent citizens.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

phone callcall attentiontelephone callnow call

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • cry

    Utter a sudden loud cry.

  • shout

    To utter a sudden and loud cry, as in joy, triumph, exultation or anger, or to attract attention, to animate others,….

  • squall

    To cry or wail loudly.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • callingnounInflected form

    The particular occupation for which you are trained.

  • callernounInflected form

    A social or business visitor.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • call numbernounCompound term

    A mark consisting of characters written on a book.

  • call offverbCompound term

    Postpone indefinitely or annul something that was scheduled.

  • call onverbCompound term

    Have recourse to or make an appeal or request for help or information to.

  • call on the carpetverbCompound term

    Censure severely or angrily.

  • call one's bluffverbCompound term

    Ask to prove what someone is claiming.

  • call optionnounCompound term

    An option to buy.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: telephone conversation

phone call

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.