give - a call — to telephone someone
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to telephone someone
Pronunciation (IPA): /ɡɪv ə kɔːl/
Example Sentences
- My mom gives me a call every morning to ask if I ate breakfast.
- I'll give the pizza place a call to order dinner.
- She gave her ex-boyfriend a call by mistake and hung up immediately.
give - a call
VERB[/ɡɪv ə kɔːl/]
to telephone someone
to telephone someone
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The phrase 'give a call' emerged in the 20th century with the widespread adoption of the telephone. The word 'call' derives from Old English 'ceallian', meaning to shout or cry out loudly. As telephonic communication became common, the traditional sense of summoning someone by voice was metaphorically extended to mean contacting someone remotely by phone.
Breakdown
give (to provide, grant) + call (to summon by voice; from Old English ceallian). The construction uses 'give' as a light verb with 'call' as the semantic core, literally meaning 'to give/make a call'.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My mom gives me a call every morning to ask if I ate breakfast.”
“I'll give the pizza place a call to order dinner.”
“She gave her ex-boyfriend a call by mistake and hung up immediately.”
“Give me a call when you're free to discuss the project.”
📚Related Words
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