Phrasal verb
call out
Meanings
To shout or speak loudly to get someone’s attention, especially from a distance.
To publicly criticize, challenge, or point out someone’s mistake or bad behavior.
Definition
To call out means to speak loudly or publicly challenge someone or something.
To call out can mean to shout so someone hears you, especially from a distance or in a noisy place. It can also mean to criticize or confront someone openly, often because you think something is wrong or unfair. The meaning is usually clear from context and tone.
Examples
- I had to call out to my neighbor because he didn’t hear the doorbell.
- You should call out unsafe behavior when you see it at work.
- She decided to call out the comment as disrespectful during the discussion.
- They call out the referee’s mistake from the stands, and the crowd reacts.
- He didn’t want to call out his friend in public, so he spoke to him later.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse “call out” (shout or criticize) with “call in” or “call off,” which have different meanings.
More phrasal verbs
- go on To go on means to continue or keep happening.
- carry out To carry out something means to do it or complete it, especially a plan, task, or instruction.
- set up To set up means to arrange or prepare something so it is ready to use or happen.
- pick up “Pick up” most commonly means to collect someone or something from a place, usually by going there.
- go back To go back means to return to a place, time, or earlier situation.