call back
Idioms-
Ask someone to return; also, ask that something be returned, as in He passed the first audition and was waiting to be called back , or These screws are defective; the manufacturer has called them back . [Late 1500s]
-
call someone back . Telephone someone in return, as in May I call you back next week? [Early 1900s]
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.
If the caller ID comes up as your bank, don’t answer and call back using the number on the back of your credit card.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026
She said she understood that there "isn't an established process, once a nomination has happened to the House of Lords, to then call back that nomination before a peer is introduced".
From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026
Callers may have also experienced a busy message, where they receive a message to call back when the lines aren’t full.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 23, 2025
“I heard you on all your concerns and believe we have addressed them in our new proposal. Please give me a call back when you can to discuss in detail.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 9, 2025
Knowing that he would need the fleet to help defend the city, he decided to call back the ships, which had set off for Newport under full sail.
From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen
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.
