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Glite Dictionary
to make a call

to make a call

93 1.0
To phone someone
  • phrasal verb
  • /meɪk ə kɔl/
translation icon : llamar
  • I will make a call to confirm my appointment later today.

Well, I mean, I know you guys know each other before, but Patsy made a call to Amber Capone.

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Examples

Synonyms

to contact
vsto make a call
∞ 2.5

To communicate with someone by phone or writing

focuses only on voice communication using a telephone
to reach
vsto make a call
∞ 1.3

Make contact with someone by phone or email

is limited to making voice contact specifically by telephone
to ring
vsto make a call
  • UK
294 1.0

To call someone on the phone

is a neutral action without implying quickness
to call up
vsto make a call
209 2.5

To phone someone

is the general act of contacting someone by telephone
to phone
vsto make a call
204 1.0

To call someone by telephone

is a multiword everyday phrase rather than a single verb
to call in
vsto make a call
117 3.2

Phone a place like an office or radio show to give information

is broader, applying to contacting people generally by telephone
to telephone
vsto make a call
20 1.0

To call someone to speak with them

is the common multiword expression used in spoken English
to give a shout
vsto make a call
  • Informal
1 5.1

Call or message someone to let them know something

is the neutral act of contacting someone by telephone without informality
to give a ring
vsto make a call
1 2.2

To phone someone

is the neutral multiword expression without informal flavour

How Many

to make a call
93 1.0

Surface Forms

make a call infinitive

Morphology

make + a + call

The meaning 'to contact someone by telephone' is directly derivable from combining 'make' (to do/perform) with 'call' (a telephone contact); the article 'a' does not obscure the composition. This construction is cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish 'hacer una llamada', French 'faire un appel'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Make a call comes from the old idea of call meaning to shout someone's name to get their attention. When telephones arrived, people used the same word for speaking to someone on the phone, so make a call now means 'to contact someone by telephone'.