caller
1 Americanadjective
-
(of fruit, fish, vegetables, etc.) fresh; recently picked or caught.
noun
-
a person or thing that calls, esp a person who makes a brief visit
-
a racing commentator
adjective
-
(of food, esp fish) fresh
-
cool
a caller breeze
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.
- Used in a sentence: My house was a mess because I didn’t expect so many callers to come over today.
- Used in a sentence: My heart was racing as I waited for the caller to shout “B5,” the last number I needed to win.
Synonym Usage
See visitor.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
Her ordeal lasted about 30 minutes and involved one caller.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
“We were just calling you in reference to a post that we believe you made on Instagram where you doxxed an ICE agent back in January,” said the caller.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
The elderly caller in mid-Wales who had slipped on decking was put through to the falls desk - initially set up as a pilot to handle around a thousand calls a day of this nature.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
That’s another reason to ask whether the caller was from the loan servicer or an outside debt collector.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Boaz was closing the theater that night, and when Clara padded down the stairs, she found him busy explaining their hours to a caller.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
This week extra clinical staff have been deployed to support the call handlers and offer advice to callers.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Coleman explained that when answering the phones, the first step is often correcting the way callers think.
From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026
Rowan told callers that Apollo will have daily pricing for its investment-grade credit assets by June, and for all of its credit funds by September.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
Shifts in 988 hotline volunteer behavior can have a major impact for autistic callers, a population more likely to experience suicidal crisis.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
I didn’t know you were allowing María de los Santos to have gentlemen callers.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
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.
