call of nature
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of call of nature
First recorded in 1850–55
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.
Stopping along the side of a road for a call of nature doesn’t turn out so well for the dudes in the prologue.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
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
They also had to answer the call of nature, like everybody else - resulting in a very quirky lot.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 27, 2017
But she says this did not deter the jogger from answering the call of nature outside the Budde residence.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2017
Dany did not think that he would miss her, but just in case she instructed her handmaids to tell him that she was answering a call of nature, should he inquire after her.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
