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call in

[ kawl-in ]
/ ˈkɔl ˌɪn /
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verb phrase call in [kawl-in] /ˈkɔl ˈɪn/ .
noun call-in
Radio and Television. a program in which listeners or viewers phone in comments or questions to the host or a person being interviewed.
Radio and Television. a live telephone conversation intended for broadcasting between a program's host and a person being interviewed.
adjective call-in
Radio and Television. relating to or featuring such phone calls or conversations: My call-in program about gardening airs once a week on the local public radio station.
being or relating to a meeting, service, etc., that is accessed by telephone:The agenda will be sent out the morning of the meeting, along with all the call-in numbers needed.The grant funds a call-in hotline for low-income residents in the metro area.
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Origin of call in

First recorded in 1480–90
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use call in in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for call in

call in

verb (adverb)
(intr often foll by on) to pay a visit, esp a brief or informal onecall in if you are in the neighbourhood
(tr) to demand payment ofto call in a loan
(tr) to take (something) out of circulation, because it is defective or no longer useful
(tr) to summon to one's assistancethey had to call in a specialist
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with call in

call in

1

Summon for help or consultation, as in We've decided to call in a specialist to look at Father. [Second half of 1600s]

2

Withdraw from circulation, as in We're calling in all the old models. [Late 1500s]

3

Communicate by telephone, as in In this office salesmen must call in once a day. [Mid-1900s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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