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call-and-response
[ kawl-uhn-ri-spons ]
/ ˈkɔl ən rɪˈspɒns /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective
noting or pertaining to a style of singing in which a melody sung by one singer is responded to or echoed by one or more singers.
noting or pertaining to rapid, spontaneous verbal and nonverbal interaction between speaker and listener, in which all statements are punctuated by expressions from the listener.
noun Also call and response .
call-and-response singing.
call-and-response interaction between speaker and listener.
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Origin of call-and-response
First recorded in 1820–30
Words nearby call-and-response
Callaghan, call a halt, callais, call alarm, callaloo, call-and-response, Callanetics, callant, Callao, Callas, call a spade a spade
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use call-and-response in a sentence
The parade was solemn, with reverent music and the call-and-response singing of two choirs.
The First Americans to Observe the 4th Were Moravian Pacifists|Linda C. Brinson|July 4, 2014|DAILY BEASTIt looked choreographed, and was a natural, albeit slightly risqué, call-and-response.
Super Bowl’s ‘Nipplegate’ Fiasco 10 Years Later: The Pop Diva, the Boob, and the Outrage|Marlow Stern|February 1, 2014|DAILY BEASTIt was getting close to being a call-and-response kind of speech.
5 Best Bits From Mitt Romney’s Acceptance Speech at GOP Convention (VIDEO)|Jake Heller, Nina Strochlic|August 31, 2012|DAILY BEASTNow listen to this call-and-response from across the decades.
British Dictionary definitions for call-and-response
call-and-response
noun
a form of interaction between a speaker and one or more listeners, in which every utterance of the speaker elicits a verbal or non-verbal response from the listener or listeners
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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