caller

¹

[kaw-ler]

noun

1. a person or thing that calls.

2. a person who makes a short visit.

3. Dance.,  a person who directs the movements of dancers, as at a hoedown or square dance, by calling out the successive figures as the music plays.

caller

²

[kal-er, kah-ler]

adjective

Scot. and North England.

1. (of fruit, fish, vegetables, etc.) fresh; recently picked or caught.

2. refreshing.

caller

¹

/ ˈkɔːlə /

noun

1. a person or thing that calls, esp a person who makes a brief visit

2. a racing commentator

caller

²

/ ˈkɒlər, ˈkælə, ˈkælər /

adjective

1. (of food, esp fish) fresh

2. cool

   a caller breeze

Word History and Origins

Origin of caller¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English. See call, -er ¹

Origin of caller²

1325–75; Middle English, north. variant of calver fresh, alive (said of fish) < ?

Word History and Origins

Origin of caller¹

C14: perhaps a Scottish variant of calver to prepare fresh salmon or trout in a certain way; perhaps from Old English calwer curds, from a fancied resemblance with the flaked flesh of the fish

Synonym Study

See visitor.

Example Sentences

Customers could not reach him because he had always phoned them with his caller ID hidden.

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“He showed me a freaking clip,” the caller said in the 911 audio recording obtained by The Times.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But Penelope knew that if Lady Constance saw her entertaining an actual caller—and a young gentleman, mind you!—there would be no end to the hysteria.

Read more on Literature

Never rely on caller ID alone, the Federal Trade Commission warned.

Read more on MarketWatch

“Shelters? There are none around here that I know of,” a Los Angeles police officer told a desperate caller.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• guest 

When To Use

What is a basic definition of caller?

A caller is a person who calls, a person who makes a short visit, or a person who shouts out directions.By far, the most common use of caller is in the sense of a person who calls someone, especially using a phone. In the past, a person would hear from callers using wired telephones but today cell phones and smartphones are much more common.

• Real-life examples: Radio shows and podcasts might take questions from callers. A service known as caller ID identifies on a screen who is calling so you can avoid answering unwanted calls (be sure to answer when it’s your mom!). A dog will often run toward a caller using its name.



• Used in a sentence: My favorite podcast always ends with a Q&A session with callers.

Less commonly, caller means a guest or a person who makes a short visit. This usage was more common before the widespread use of telephones, but it is still sometimes used to refer to formal visits. Sometimes, caller specifically meant that the person was a date or a romantic partner.

• Used in a sentence: My house was a mess because I didn’t expect so many callers to come over today.

Caller can also mean a person whose job is to shout directions or instructions, such as a person directing a square dance or a person calling out numbers in a game of bingo.

• Used in a sentence: My heart was racing as I waited for the caller to shout “B5,” the last number I needed to win.