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Synonyms

on call

Idioms  

  1. Available if summoned, as in Medical residents are required to be on call at least three nights a week. This expression originated as at call in the late 1500s. Also see at someone's beck and call.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

New rules will mean reservists remain on call for an extra decade, and lower the threshold for them being called into service.

From BBC • Jan. 15, 2026

It wasn’t just the activists on call — block after block was ready.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 2025

The couple was on call for a small but fast-growing rodent who hissed when annoyed and cried when lonely:

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

Just having an adviser on call — even if you’re only paying for their time to deliver occasional services — can be valuable.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 9, 2025

That it feels like my butterflies are always on call, but that I’m managing.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.