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Showing results for on call. Search instead for on+call.
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.

While he worked with Rojas, Battle’s complaint alleges, she required him “to be on call 24/7” and do her personal errands.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2026

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

They show the arrival of Alan Jones, the lead detective on call that night.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 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

Luis Alberti moved his whole orchestra from the capital just to be on call at Casa de Caoba.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

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.