a telephone connection
"she reported several anonymous calls"
"he placed a phone call to London"
"he heard the phone ringing but didn't want to take the call"
a special disposition (as if from a divine source) to pursue a particular course
"he was disappointed that he had not heard the Call"
a brief social visit
"senior professors' wives no longer make afternoon calls on newcomers"
"the characters in Henry James' novels are forever paying calls on each other, usually in the parlor of some residence"
a demand by a broker that a customer deposit enough to bring his margin up to the minimum requirement
"The stockbroker called me urgently because my portfolio had dropped below the required margin level and needed an immediate cash deposit."
an instruction that interrupts the program being executed
"Pascal performs calls by simply giving the name of the routine to be executed"
a visit in an official or professional capacity
"the pastor's calls on his parishioners"
"the salesman's call on a customer"
the option to buy a given stock (or stock index or commodity future) at a given price before a given date
"When I exercise my call on the tech stocks, I lock in today's low price even if the market crashes tomorrow."
A telephone conversation; a phone call.
"The CALL module helped students practice their pronunciation before they started speaking to native speakers."
Initialism of computer-assisted language learning.
In plain English: A call is an urgent request for help or attention.
"I need to write down my phone number in case someone calls you."
Usage: As a standard noun, call refers to the act of phoning someone or an urgent request for assistance. Do not use this word to mean computer-assisted language learning, which is specifically represented by the acronym CALL.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
"They named their son David"
"The new school was named after the famous Civil Rights leader"
ascribe a quality to or give a name of a common noun that reflects a quality
"He called me a bastard"
"She called her children lazy and ungrateful"
call a meeting; invite or command to meet
"The Wannsee Conference was called to discuss the `Final Solution'"
"The new dean calls meetings every week"
send a message or attempt to reach someone by radio, phone, etc.; make a signal to in order to transmit a message
"Hawaii is calling!"
"A transmitter in Samoa was heard calling"
make a prediction about; tell in advance
"Call the outcome of an election"
challenge (somebody) to make good on a statement; charge with or censure for an offense
"He deserves to be called on that"
order, summon, or request for a specific duty or activity, work, role
"He was already called 4 times for jury duty"
"They called him to active military duty"
To use one's voice.
"The baby began to cry and then started calling out for his mother."
To request, summon, or beckon.
"The manager called for all employees to gather in the main hall immediately."
In plain English: To call means to shout something out loud so that other people can hear you.
"I will call you later to discuss our plans."
Usage: Use "call" when you mean to speak aloud or shout, such as calling someone's name across a room. It refers specifically to producing sound with your voice rather than making a telephone connection.
A surnameโ.
"My neighbor's son, Call, is helping me carry in the groceries today."
The word "call" comes from Middle English and Old Norse roots meaning to shout or name someone. These origins trace back to ancient Germanic and Indo-European languages where the core idea was vocalizing or making a cry.