port of call

American  

noun

1. a port visited briefly by a ship, usually to take on or discharge passengers and cargo or to undergo repairs.

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port of call British  

noun

1. any port where a ship stops, excluding its home port

2. any place visited on a traveller's itinerary

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Etymology

Origin of port of call

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The rerouting around Africa adds time and cost, as the trip is 10 to 15 days longer than through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, depending on the final port of call in Europe.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026

NHS England said the public should use 111 online as the first port of call for urgent, but not life-threatening issues during the strike.

From BBC • Dec. 16, 2025

"Part of our job is to have extremely difficult and challenging conversations with patients in our care, and sometimes we are their first port of call," she said.

From BBC • Nov. 11, 2025

His first port of call was the University of Hong Kong, the territory’s flagship higher-education institution.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

A few months into his trip, when he collected his mail at a port of call in Rio de Janeiro, he read a letter from his sister Catherine.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman