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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.

The team of specialists is on call 24 hours a day to collect the most poorly children and babies and take them to intensive care, supporting 27 hospitals across the south of England.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

Like any sensible American trying to move a boulder up a hill, he has lawyers on call.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 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

—Sir, Dr. Carrothers was the doctor on call tonight, but as I told you, he had a sudden emergency.

From "Tears of a Tiger" by Sharon M. Draper

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.