call sign

American  

noun

1. call letters.

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call sign British  

noun

1. a group of letters and numbers identifying a radio transmitting station, esp an amateur radio station Compare call letters

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Etymology

Origin of call sign

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

In 2022, a Ukrainian army sniper with the call sign Ivanhoe would spot enemy movement up to 2½ miles away and relay that information to guide artillery.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

He's an ethnic Hungarian, from Uzhgorod in western Ukraine, and best known by his military call sign, Magyar.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

“And you will know my call sign is Sandy 1, when I lay my vengeance upon thee.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

The president, played by a breathy, beleaguered Idris Elba and known only by his call sign, “Icon,” is of indeterminate party and ideology.

From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026

They used her name as the call sign and Derek had shown Brian how to use the radio, the correct procedure in case of an emergency.

From "The River" by Gary Paulsen