–noun

1.	a meeti 2c1 ng for consultation or discussion: a conference between a student and his adviser.

2.	the act of conferring or consulting together; consultation, esp. on an important or serious matter.

3.	Government. a meeting, as of various committees, to settle disagreements between the two branches of the legislature.

4.	an association of athletic teams; league: an intercollegiate conference.

5.	Ecclesiastical. a. an official assembly of clergy or of clergy and laity, customary in many Christian denominations. b. a group of churches whose representatives regularly meet in such an assembly.

–verb (used without object)

6.	to hold or participate in a conference or series of conferences.

–verb (used with object)

1.	to cry out in a loud voice; shout: He called her name to see if she was home.

2.	to command or request to come; summon: to call a dog; to call a cab; to call a witness.

3.	to ask or invite to come: Will you call the family to dinner?

4.	to communicate or try to communicate with by telephone: Call me when you arrive.

5.	to rouse from sleep, as by a call; waken: Call me at eight o'clock.

6.	to read over (a roll or a list) in a loud voice.

7.	to convoke or convene: to call Congress into session.

8.	to announce authoritatively; proclaim: to call a halt.

9.	to order into effect; establish: to call a strike.

10.	to schedule: to call a rehearsal.

11.	to summon by or as if by divine command: He felt called to the ministry.

12.	to summon to an office, duty, etc.: His country called him to the colors.

13.	to cause to come; bring: to call to mind; to call into existence.

14.	to bring under consideration or discussion: The judge called the case to court.

15.	to attract or lure (birds or animals) by imitating characteristic sounds.

16.	to direct or attract (attention): He called his roommate's attention to the mess.

17.	to name or address (someone) as: His parents named him James, but the boys call him Jim.

18.	to designate as something specified: He called me a liar.

19.	to think of as something specified; consider; estimate: I call that a mean remark.

20.	to demand of (someone) that he or she fulfill a promise, furnish evidence for a statement, etc.: They called him on his story.

21.	to criticize adversely; express disapproval of; censure: She called him on his vulgar language.

22.	to demand payment or fulfillment of (a loan).

23.	to demand presentation of (bonds) for redemption.

24.	to forecast correctly: He has called the outcome of the last three elections.

25.	Sports. (of an official) a. to pronounce a judgment on (a shot, pitch, batter, etc.): The umpire called the pitch a strike. b. to put an end to (a contest) because of inclement weather, poor field conditions, etc.: A sudden downpour forced the umpire to call the game.

26.	Pool. to name (the ball) one intends to drive into a particular pocket.

27.	(in a computer program) to transfer cont 5af rol of to a procedure or subroutine.

28.	Cards. a. to demand (a card). b. to demand the display of a hand by (a player). c. Poker. to equal (a bet) or equal the bet made by (the preceding bettor) in a round. d. Bridge. to signal one's partner for a lead of (a certain card or suit).

–verb (used without object)

29.	to speak loudly, as to attract attention; shout; cry: She called to the children.

30.	to make a short visit; stop at a place on some errand or business: She called at the store for the package.

31.	to telephone or try to telephone 7e9 a person: He promised to call at noon.

32.	Cards. a. to demand a card. b. to demand a showing of hands. c. Poker. to equal a bet. d. Bridge. to bid or pass.

33.	(of a bird or animal) to utter its characteristic cry.

–noun

34.	a cry or shout.

35.	the cry or vocal sound of a bird or other animal.

36.	an instrument for imitating this cry and attracting or luring an animal: He bought a duck call.

37.	an act or instance of telephoning: She went into a telephone booth to place her call.

38.	a short visit: to make a call on someone.

39.	a summons or signal sounded by a bugle, bell, etc.: We live so close to the fort that we can hear the bugle calls.

875

40.	a summons, invitation, or bidding: The students gathered at the call of the dean.

41.	a calling of a roll; roll call.

42.	the fascination or appeal of a given place, vocation, etc.: the call of the sea.

43.	a mystic experience of divine appointment to a vocation or service: He had a call to become a minister.

44.	a request or invitation to become pastor of a church, a professor in a university, etc.

45.	a need or occasion: He had no call to say such outrageous things.

46.	a demand or claim: to make a call on a person's time.

47.	a demand for payment of an obligation, esp. where payment is at the option of the creditor.

48.	Cards. a. a demand for a card or a showing of hands. b. Poker. an equaling of the preceding bet. c. Bridge. a bid or pass.

49.	Sports. a judgment or decision by an umpire, a referee, or other official of a contest, as on a shot, pitch, or batter: The referees were making one bad call after another.

50.	Theater. a. a notice of rehearsal posted by the stage manager. b. act call. c. curtain call.

51.	Dance. a figure or direction in square dancing, announced to the dancers by the caller.

52.	Also called call option. Finance. an option that gives the right to buy a fixed amount of a particular stock at a predetermined price within a given period of time, purchased by a person who believes the price will rise. Compare put (def. 24).

53.	Fox Hunting. any of several cries, or sounds made on a horn by the hunter to encourage the hounds.

—Verb phrases

54.	call away, to cause to leave or go; summon: A death in the family called him away.

55.	call back, a. to summon or bring back; recall: He called back the messenger. The actor was called back for a second audition. b. to revoke; retract: to call back an accusation.

56.	call down, a. to request or pray for; invoke: to call down the wrath of God. b. to reprimand; scold: The boss called us down for lateness.

57.	call for, a. to go or come to get; pick up; fetch. b. to request; summon. c. to require; demand; need: The occasion calls for a cool head.

58.	call forth, to summon into action; bring into existence: to call forth her courage and resolve.

59.

call in, a. to call for payment; collect. b. to withdraw from circulation: to call in gold certificates. c. to call upon for consultation; ask for help: Two specialists were called in to assist in the operation. d. to inform or report by telephone: Did he call in his decision this morning? e. to participate in a radio or television program by telephone.

60.	call in or into question. question (def. 17).

61.	call off, a. to distract; take away: Please call off your dog. b. to cancel (something) that had been planned for a certain date: The performance was called off because of rain.

62.	call on or upon, a. to ask; appeal to: They called on him to represent them. b. to visit for a short time: to call on friends.

63.

call out, a. to speak in a loud voice; shout. b. to summon into service or action: Call out the militia! c. to bring out; elicit: The emergency called out her hidden abilities. d. to direct attention to with a callout: to call out each detail in an illustration. e. Informal. to challenge to a fight.

64.

call up, a. to bring forward for consideration or discussion. b. to cause to remember; evoke. c. to communicate or try to communicate with by telephone. d. to summon for action or service: A large number of Army reservists were called up. e. Computers. to summon (information) from a computer system for display on a video screen: She called up the full text.

—Idioms

65.	call in sick. sick 1 (def. 14).

66.	call to order. order (def. 48).

67.	on call, a. payable or subject to return without advance notice. b. readily available for summoning upon short notice.

68.	take a call, to acknowledge the applause of the audience after a performance by appearing for a bow or a curtain call.

69.	within call, within distance or range of being spoken to or summoned: Please stay within call.

–noun

1.	anything kept, furnished, or provided for a specific purpose.

2.	the act of equipping a person or thing.

3.	the state of being equipped.

4.	the personal knowledge and skill required for a task, occupation, etc.: He has the necessary equipment for law.

5.	the rolling stock of a railroad.