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Glite Dictionary
to call 999

to call 999

1 2.5
Phone the emergency number 999 in the United Kingdom
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
translation icon : llamar al 999
  • If there's a fire, call 999 immediately!

Examples

  • If you see a fire, you should call 999 immediately for the emergency services.

  • I need to call 999 for help.

  • If you see a serious accident, you should call 999 without hesitation.

  • She quickly called 999 when she noticed smoke coming from the building next door.

  • They advised everyone to call 999 in case of any medical emergency.

  • During the storm, many people had to call 999 to report downed power lines.

  • She advised him to call 999 if he felt that he was in danger.

Synonyms

to call 911
vsto call 999
  • US
178 1.6

Phone 911 in the United States and Canada to get immediate help from police, fire, or ambulance

is used in the United Kingdom rather than North America
to dial 911
vsto call 999
  • US
28 2.0

To call emergency help in the United States by phone using the number 911

is used in the United Kingdom rather than the United States
to dial 999
vsto call 999
  • UK
1 2.3

Call for police, fire, or ambulance help by phone in the UK

has identical meaning but is written in a different phrasing

How Urgent

to call 999
  • UK
1 2.5
to see a doctor
146 1.8
to wait on
  • US
83 3.9

Surface Forms

call 999 infinitive
called 999 past
called 999 past participle
calling 999 present participle
calls 999 third person singular

Morphology

call + 999

The phrase literally combines 'call' with the numeral '999', so a learner who knows the constituents will understand it means to call the number 999. However, the critical detail that 999 specifically denotes the UK emergency services is cultural/conventional knowledge and not derivable from the parts (many countries use different emergency numbers), so the full emergency-service sense is not fully predictable.

Etymology

The verb call 999 comes from the UK's emergency number 999. When someone phones 999 to get police, fire or an ambulance, people say call 999, so it means 'phone emergency services'.