call out
Britishverb
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to utter aloud, esp loudly
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(tr) to summon
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(tr) to order (workers) to strike
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(tr) to summon (an employee) to work at a time outside his normal working hours, usually in an emergency
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(tr) to challenge to a duel
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Summon into action or service, as in The governor called out the militia . [Mid-1400s]
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Challenge to a fight, as in To avenge the insult, Arthur called him out . This term originated with dueling and is dying out. [Early 1800s]
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.
“He was very motivational, very encouraging, but also would call out something if it was amiss; he wasn’t afraid—that was very revealing and very powerful for me as a young leader at that point.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
De Los editors Fidel Martinez and Suzy Exposito call out overdone Latin music trends and the best albums of 2026 on ‘The De Los Podcast.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
AFP reporters saw a nurse call out the names of babies who had perished in the fire as families gathered outside.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Lopez, who has previously held world titles at lightweight and light-welterweight, secured a majority decision but declined to call out Briton Jack Catterall as his first defence.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
A voice seemed to call out to her from inside the clay lamp.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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.
