callout

American  

[kawl-aut] / ˈkɔlˌaʊt /

Or call-out

noun

1. an act or instance of calling out, or speaking in a loud voice.

2. an order to report for emergency or special work, especially at an unusual time or place.

3. a letter, number, or other device for identifying or calling attention to a particular part of an illustration or text.

4. a challenge to a duel.

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verb phrase

1. to speak in a loud voice; shout.

2. to summon into service or action.

   Call out the militia!

3. to bring out; elicit.

   The emergency called out her hidden abilities.

4. to direct attention to with a callout.

   to call out each feature in a technical drawing.

5. to criticize adversely; express disapproval of; censure.

   Even his fans have called him out on his treatment of women.

6. to challenge to a duel.

Etymology

Origin of callout

First recorded in 1885–90; callout defs. 1, 2, 3, 4 represent noun uses of verb phrase call out

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

callout

Her sentiment echoed nearly 200 responses to a callout asking readers what Jackie meant to them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

This is a typical callout for the ambulance crew in South West England, who in one of Britain's longest-lasting heatwaves, are tending to cases from heat exhaustion to stroke patients.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

But hundreds of screeners have quit, and many of those still on the job were working without pay, prompting unusually high callout rates and thinning already-stretched staffing levels.

From Slate ● Mar. 26, 2026

New Orleans’s airport callout rate hit 42% that day, the highest among major airports.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026

Let us callout Lysistrata Since she alone can settle the Peace-terms.

From Lysistrata by Aristophanes

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