call of nature

American  

noun

Informal.

1. a need to urinate or defecate.

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call of nature Idioms  

1. Need to urinate or defecate, as in He left to answer the call of nature. This euphemism may be dying out. [Mid-1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of call of nature

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

These horses occasionally answered the call of nature, creating a bacteria-filled environment that required the athletic trainer to keep a supply of tetanus shots on hand, to be administered when players’ wounds broke the skin.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025

Then Abdullah said he had to deal with a call of nature, and moved, Moaaz says, about 30 metres away.

From BBC • Sep. 23, 2025

They also had to answer the call of nature, like everybody else - resulting in a very quirky lot.

From Washington Times • Sep. 27, 2017

How it constitutes good manners to underline the call of nature by hopping up and down like a jack-in-a-box I fail to understand.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2014

A body must follow the call of nature, even in the dead of the night.

From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson