What does “call” mean?
- 1
verbto phone someone
I’ll call you tonight.
- 2
verbto give someone or something a name
We called our dog Max.
- 3
nounan act of phoning someone
I got a call from my bank.
Call at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb & noun
- CEFR level
- A1 (beginner)
- Pronunciation
- /kɔl/ · KAWL
How to use “call” correctly
Say “call me”, not “call to me”. “Call off” means to cancel: “They called off the game.”
Common phrases with “call”
- make a call
- phone call
- call back
- call off
Idioms with “call”
- Call it a day: To stop working on something, either for today or for good.
- Call the shots: To be the person who makes the important decisions.
“call” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- ask verbA1to say or write a question to get information
- describe verbA1to say or write what someone or something is like
- draw verbA1to make a picture with a pen or pencil
- hear verbA1to notice sounds with your ears
- listen verbA1to pay attention to sounds or to what someone says
- read verbA1to look at written words and understand them
- say verbA1to speak words, or to express a thought or opinion
- send verbA1to make something go to a person or place, for example by mail or email