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Synonyms

on call

Idioms  

  1. Available if summoned, as in Medical residents are required to be on call at least three nights a week. This expression originated as at call in the late 1500s. Also see at someone's beck and call.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I thought it was an injury from Pilates, but, after a couple of weeks of the pain, I went to see the nurse practitioner on call at my doctor’s office.

From The Wall Street Journal

Perry Lang cooked for Epstein from around 1998 to 2002, during which time he was “basically on call 24/7,” according to a 2021 FBI interview with Lang included in the files.

From Los Angeles Times

Those who like what they see often wind up at On Call Café, a popular date spot that offers students a free beverage if they show up with their first match of the quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal

Like any sensible American trying to move a boulder up a hill, he has lawyers on call.

From The Wall Street Journal

New rules will mean reservists remain on call for an extra decade, and lower the threshold for them being called into service.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.