call

to ask or invite to come: Will you call the family to dinner?

to communicate or try to communicate with by telephone: Call me when you arrive.

to rouse from sleep, as by a call; waken: Call me at eight o'clock.

to read over (a roll or a list) in a loud voice.

to convoke or convene: We will now call Congress into session.

to announce authoritatively; proclaim: The company called a halt to production of their latest line after many items failed quality checks.

to order into effect; decree: The union is planning to call a strike late this year.

to schedule: The director should call one more rehearsal before opening night.

to summon by or as if by divine command: He felt called to the ministry.

to summon to an office, duty, etc.: His country called him to service during the Korean War.

to cause to come; bring: to call to mind;to call into existence.

to bring under consideration or discussion: The judge called the case to court.

to attract or lure (birds or animals) by imitating characteristic sounds.

to direct or attract (attention): He called his roommate's attention to the mess.

to name or address (someone) as: His parents named him James, but the boys call him Jim.

to designate as something specified: He called me a liar.

to think of as something specified; consider; estimate: I call that a mean remark.

to demand of (someone) that they fulfill a promise, furnish evidence for a statement, etc.: They called him on his story.

to criticize adversely; express disapproval of; censure: She called him on his vulgar language.

to demand payment or fulfillment of (a loan).

to demand presentation of (bonds) for redemption.

to forecast correctly: He has called the outcome of the last three elections.

Sports. (of an official)

Pool. to name (the ball) one intends to drive into a particular pocket.

Computers. to invoke (a subroutine or procedure) in a computer program.

Cards.

to make a short visit; stop at a place on some errand or business: She called at the store for the package.

Cards.

(of a bird or animal) to utter its characteristic cry.

an instrument for imitating this cry and attracting or luring an animal: He bought a duck call.

an act or instance of telephoning: She returned his call as soon as her meeting was over.

a short visit: to make a call on someone.

a summons or signal sounded by a bugle, bell, etc.: We live so close to the fort that we can hear the bugle calls.

a summons, invitation, or bidding: The students gathered at the call of the dean.

a calling of a roll; roll call.

the fascination or appeal of a given place, vocation, etc.: the call of the sea.

a mystic experience of divine appointment to a vocation or service: He had a call to become a minister.

a request or invitation to become pastor of a church, a professor in a university, etc.

a need or occasion: He had no call to say such outrageous things.

a demand or claim: to make a call on a person's time.

a demand for payment of an obligation, especially where payment is at the option of the creditor.

Cards.

Sports. a judgment or decision by an umpire, a referee, or other official of a contest, as on a shot, pitch, or batter: The referees were making one bad call after another.

Theater.

Dance. a figure or direction in square dancing, announced to the dancers by the caller.

Also called call option .Finance. an option that gives the right to buy a fixed amount of a particular stock at a predetermined price within a given period of time, purchased by a person who believes the price will rise.: Compare put (def. 24).

Fox Hunting. any of several cries, or sounds made on a horn by the hunter to encourage the hounds.

(intr sometimes foll by on) to make a visit (to): she called on him

(often foll by up) to telephone (a person): he called back at nine

(tr) to summon to a specific office, profession, etc: he was called to the ministry

(of animals or birds) to utter (a characteristic sound or cry)

(tr) to summon (a bird or animal) by imitating its cry

(tr) to name or style: they called the dog Rover

(tr) to designate: they called him a coward

(tr) British dialect to speak ill of or scold

(tr) to regard in a specific way: I call it a foolish waste of time

(tr) to attract (attention)

(tr) to read (a list, register, etc) aloud to check for omissions or absentees

(when tr, usually foll by for) to give an order (for): to call a strike

(intr) to try to predict the result of tossing a coin

(tr) to awaken: I was called early this morning

(tr) to cause to assemble: to call a meeting

(tr) sport (of an umpire, referee, etc) to pass judgment upon (a shot, player, etc) with a call

(tr) Australian and NZ to broadcast a commentary on (a horse race or other sporting event)

(tr) to demand repayment of (a loan, redeemable bond, security, etc)

(tr often foll by up) accounting to demand payment of (a portion of a share issue not yet paid by subscribers)

(tr) British to award (a student at an Inn of Court) the degree of barrister (esp in the phrase call to the bar)

(tr) computing to transfer control to (a named subprogram)

(tr) poker to demand that (a player) expose his hand, after equalling his bet

(intr) bridge to make a bid

(in square-dancing) to call out (instructions) to the dancers

billiards to ask (a player) to say what kind of shot he will play or (of a player) to name his shot

(intr foll by for)

(intr; foll by on or upon) to make an appeal or request (to): they called upon him to reply

(tr) to predict the outcome of an event: we don't know yet if the plan has succeeded because it's too soon to call

call into being to create

call into play to begin to operate

call in question or call into question See question (def. 12)

call it a day to stop work or other activity

too close to call (of the outcome of a competition, election, match, etc) unable to be predicted

call to mind to remember or cause to be remembered

a device, such as a whistle, intended to imitate the cry of a bird or animal

a summons or invitation

a summons or signal sounded on a horn, bugle, etc

hunting any of several notes or patterns of notes, blown on a hunting horn as a signal

hunting

a short visit: the doctor made six calls this morning

an inner urge to some task or profession; vocation

allure or fascination, esp of a place: the call of the forest

British the summons to the bar of a student member of an Inn of Court

need, demand, or occasion: there is no call to shout; we don't get much call for stockings these days

demand or claim (esp in the phrase the call of duty)

theatre a notice to actors informing them of times of rehearsals

(in square dancing) an instruction to execute new figures

a conversation or a request for a connection by telephone

commerce

finance

billiards a demand to an opponent to say what kind of shot he will play

poker a demand for a hand or hands to be exposed

bridge a bid, or a player's turn to bid

a decision or judgment: it's your call

sport a decision of an umpire or referee regarding a shot, pitch, etc

Australian a broadcast commentary on a horse race or other sporting event

Also called: call option stock exchange an option to buy a stated amount of securities at a specified price during a specified period: Compare put (def. 20)

See roll call

call for margin stock exchange a demand made by a stockbroker for partial payment of a client's debt due to decreasing value of the collateral

call of nature See nature (def. 16)

on call

within call within range; accessible