Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for courtesy call. Search instead for Courtesy+Call.

courtesy call

American  
[kur-tuh-see kawl] / ˈkɜr tə si ˌkɔl /

noun

  1. a visit or telephone call made for the sake of politeness or diplomacy.

    The newly appointed ambassador of Argentina paid a courtesy call on the leader of the opposition today.

    The delivery team was very professional and made a courtesy call in advance of their arrival.


Etymology

Origin of courtesy call

First recorded in 1895–1900


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:

"It was a courtesy call, as we run one of the largest madrassas in the country," Haque said.

From Barron's ● Dec. 29, 2025

Late last month, California fire officials made a courtesy call to Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2025

The challenge now falls to Japan, where Trump on Monday will sit for a courtesy call with Emperor Naruhito.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025

Labour's Henry McLeish is the only previous holder of the office to have been granted a courtesy call to the Oval Office.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2025

Woman operator in Bangalore apologizing for calling someone in America too early: “This is just a courtesy call, I’ll call back later in the evening. ..”

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training