English Meaning & Definitions
To give a name to someone or something, or to refer to them by a particular name.
- “They called the baby Sarah after her grandmother.”
- “The phenomenon is called the Doppler effect.”
To contact or attempt to contact someone by telephone.
- “I called you three times yesterday, but you didn't answer.”
- “She called the office to report that she would be late.”
Describing someone or something that has been given a specific name or title.
- “A man called John was waiting for you at the reception.”
- “There is a book called 'The Great Gatsby' on the shelf.”
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “called”.
Derived from the Middle English 'callen', which comes from the Old Norse 'kalla' (to cry out, shout, or summon). It shares roots with the Old English 'ceallian' and is related to the Dutch 'kallen' and German 'kallen'. Historically, it evolved from the sense of shouting to someone to attract their attention to the modern sense of naming or telephoning.
Think of a 'call' to a dog: you shout its name to get it to come, just as you 'call' a person by their name.
Frequently Asked Questions About “called”
1. What is the meaning of “called” in English?
In English, called (verb) is defined as: “To give a name to someone or something, or to refer to them by a particular name.”.
2. How do you use “called” in a sentence?
“They called the baby Sarah after her grandmother.”
3. What are English synonyms of “called”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “called”?
Derived from the Middle English 'callen', which comes from the Old Norse 'kalla' (to cry out, shout, or summon). It shares roots with the Old English 'ceallian' and is related to the Dutch 'kallen' and German 'kallen'. Historically, it evolved from the sense of shouting to someone to attract their attention to the modern sense of naming or telephoning.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.