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Synonyms

caller

1 American  
[kaw-ler] / ˈkɔ lər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that calls.

  2. a person who makes a short visit.

  3. Dance. a person who directs the movements of dancers, as at a hoedown or square dance, by calling out the successive figures as the music plays.

caller 2 American  
[kal-er, kah-ler] / ˈkæl ər, ˈkɑ lər /

adjective

Scot. and North England.

  1. (of fruit, fish, vegetables, etc.) fresh; recently picked or caught.

  2. refreshing.

caller 1 British  
/ ˈkɔːlə /

noun

  1. a person or thing that calls, esp a person who makes a brief visit

  2. a racing commentator

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
caller 2 British  
/ ˈkɒlər, ˈkælə, ˈkælər /

adjective

  1. (of food, esp fish) fresh

  2. cool

    a caller breeze
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What is a basic definition of caller? A caller is a person who calls, a person who makes a short visit, or a person who shouts out directions. By far, the most common use of caller is in the sense of a person who calls someone, especially using a phone. In the past, a person would hear from callers using wired telephones but today cell phones and smartphones are much more common.

  • Real-life examples: Radio shows and podcasts might take questions from callers. A service known as caller ID identifies on a screen who is calling so you can avoid answering unwanted calls (be sure to answer when it’s your mom!). A dog will often run toward a caller using its name.
  • Used in a sentence: My favorite podcast always ends with a Q&A session with callers.
Less commonly, caller means a guest or a person who makes a short visit. This usage was more common before the widespread use of telephones, but it is still sometimes used to refer to formal visits. Sometimes, caller specifically meant that the person was a date or a romantic partner.
  • Used in a sentence: My house was a mess because I didn’t expect so many callers to come over today.
Caller can also mean a person whose job is to shout directions or instructions, such as a person directing a square dance or a person calling out numbers in a game of bingo.
  • Used in a sentence: My heart was racing as I waited for the caller to shout “B5,” the last number I needed to win.

Related Words

See visitor.

Etymology

Origin of caller1

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English. See call, -er 1

Origin of caller2

1325–75; Middle English, north. variant of calver fresh, alive (said of fish) < ?

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Fox News, Newsmax, the Washington Examiner, the Washington Times, and the Daily Caller all refused to sign the agreement.

From Slate • Oct. 24, 2025

Military news outlet The War Zone will also be removed from the Pentagon in favor of the Daily Caller.

From Salon • Feb. 8, 2025

Songs like “Girl in the Mirror” or “28th of June” or “No Caller ID” — now it’s about seeing other people feel them.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 8, 2024

They boast tens of millions of social media followers and online audiences that match or rival that of sites like The Daily Caller and Breitbart News.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2024

A phone with Caller ID, best friend of the occasionally delinquent bill payer.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.