port of call
Americannoun
noun
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any port where a ship stops, excluding its home port
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any place visited on a traveller's itinerary
Etymology
Origin of port of call
First recorded in 1880–85
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.
Pope Leo XIV on Saturday visited Italy's Lampedusa island, a major port of call for migrants risking the perilous crossing from Africa, in a stark message to US and EU leaders.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
Its final port of call before reaching Acapulco was Colima.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
The rerouting around Africa adds time and cost, as the trip is 10 to 15 days longer than through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, depending on the final port of call in Europe.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 13, 2026
Through heavy static, barely audible answers crackle over from a crew member, who gradually lists the ship's insurance details, flag state and last port of call – Suez, Egypt.
From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2025
A few months into his trip, when he collected his mail at a port of call in Rio de Janeiro, he read a letter from his sister Catherine.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
