call out

British  

verb

1. to utter aloud, esp loudly

2. (tr) to summon

3. (tr) to order (workers) to strike

4. (tr) to summon (an employee) to work at a time outside his normal working hours, usually in an emergency

5. (tr) to challenge to a duel

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call out Idioms  

1. Summon into action or service, as in The governor called out the militia . [Mid-1400s]

2. 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]

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Example Sentences

“It gets to the point where I sometimes call out the RMD being a bigger bomb when it hits,” he says.

From Barron's • Jun. 13, 2026

Investors including Bill Ackman and Dan Loeb expressed outrage that the mayor would call out Griffin.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 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

“If we soak the rice, it becomes softer and cooks faster,” I call out loudly.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Related Words

• ask for
• assert
• call for
• claim
• confront
• defy
• demand
• denounce
• impose
• require
• test
• try