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.
There are large tranches of people who I will not call out of the blue.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
“We talked about our parties in self-deprecating ways. I thought, If we call out the bullshit of everybody on everybody’s side and have a real conversation, this could be interesting,” she said.
From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026
At halftime, our team was walking toward the locker room when I heard Jack call out to me: “Ron, Ron, wait up.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
"It is an issue for of us and it's an issue particularly I think for men to face up to, to stand up to, to call out," he said.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
Want to call out to Mom worse than anything, but I can’t.
From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick
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.
