1. The particular occupation for which you are trained
   "If it weren't for John Newton's advice that politics was his calling, Wilberforce might well have been an obscure country cleric"; "Teaching was more than a career to her, it was a calling";
   - career, vocation
    
2. A strong urge to become religious, or change to some other way of life
   "He felt a calling to become a missionary"

1. Get or try to get into communication (with someone) by telephone
   "I tried to call you all night"; "Take two aspirin and call me in the morning"; "He called up his friend to share the good news";
   - telephone, call up, phone, ring
    
2. Order, request, or command to come
   "She was called into the director's office"; "Call the police!";
   - send for
    
3. Utter a sudden loud cry
   "The child called out in fear";
   - shout, shout out, cry, yell, scream, holler [informal], hollo [non-standard], squall
    
4. Assign a specified (usually proper) name to
   "They called their son David";
   - name, know as, be known as, christen
    
5. 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"
    
6. Pay a brief visit
   "The mayor likes to call on some of the prominent citizens";
   - visit, call in
    
7. 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"
    
8. Order, request or give a command for
   "The unions called a general strike for Sunday"
    
9. 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"
    
10. Utter in a loud voice or announce
    "He called my name"; "The auctioneer called the bids"
     
11. Utter a characteristic note or cry
    "bluejays called to one another"
     
12. (telecommunication) 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"
     
13. Read aloud to check for omissions or absentees
    "Call roll"
     
14. Greet, as with a prescribed form, title, or name
    "Call me Mister"; "She calls him by first name";
    - address
     
15. Declare in the capacity of an umpire or referee
    "call a runner out"
     
16. (sport) indicate a decision in regard to
    "call balls and strikes behind the plate"
     
17. Make a prediction about; tell in advance
    "Call the outcome of an election";
    - predict, foretell, prognosticate, forebode, anticipate, promise
     
18. Challenge (somebody) to make good on a statement; charge with or censure for an offence
    "He deserves to be called on that"
     
19. Challenge the sincerity or truthfulness of
    "call the speaker on a question of fact"
     
20. Consider or regard as being
    "I would not call her beautiful"
     
21. (card game) make a demand, as for a card or a suit or a show of hands
    "He called his trump";
    - bid
     
22. Demand payment of (a loan)
    "Call a loan"; "call in a loan";
    - call in
     
23. Present for redemption before maturation
    "Call a bond"
     
24. Give the calls (to the dancers) for a square dance
    "The experienced caller called off the steps for the square dance";
    - call off
     
25. Make a stop in a harbour
    "The ship will call in Honolulu tomorrow"
     
26. Stop or postpone because of adverse conditions, such as bad weather
    "call a football game"
     
27. Lure by imitating the characteristic call of an animal
    "Call ducks"
     
28. Rouse somebody from sleep with a call
    "I was called at 5 A.M. this morning"

Derived forms: callings

See also: call up, invoke, provoke

Type of: address, adjudge, arouse, ask, ask for, awaken, bespeak, business, call for, challenge, consider, declare, defer, demand, dispute, emit, enjoin, entice, exact, expect, gainsay, get together, give, guess, hazard, hold, hold over, indicate, job, label, let loose, let out, line, line of work, lure, meet, occupation, order, play, postpone, pretend, prorogue, put back, put off, put over, read, reckon, regard, remit, request, require, rouse, say, see, set back, shelve, stop, stop over, table [N. Amer], telecommunicate, tell, tempt, turn to, utter, venture, view, wake, wake up, waken

Encyclopedia: Calling