2 N‑COUNT A call box is a telephone in a box or case, often on a pole, that is at the side of a road and that you can use in emergencies. [mainly AM ]
ca ll cen|tre (call centres ) in AM, use call center N‑COUNT A call centre is an office where people work answering or making telephone calls for a particular company.
call|er /kɔː lə r / (callers )
1 N‑COUNT A caller is a person who is making a telephone call. □ An anonymous caller told police what had happened.
2 N‑COUNT A caller is a person who comes to see you for a short visit. □ She ushered her callers into a cluttered living-room.
ca ll girl (call girls ) N‑COUNT A call girl is a prostitute who makes appointments by telephone.
cal|lig|ra|pher /kəl I grəfə r / (calligraphers ) N‑COUNT A calligrapher is a person skilled in the art of calligraphy. □ She is a skilled calligrapher.
cal|lig|ra|phy /kəl I grəfi/ N‑UNCOUNT Calligraphy is the art of producing beautiful handwriting using a brush or a special pen.
ca ll-in (call-ins ) N‑COUNT A call-in is a programme on radio or television in which people telephone with questions or opinions and their calls are broadcast. [AM ] □ …a call-in show on Los Angeles radio station KABC. in BRIT, use phone-in
call|ing /kɔː l I ŋ/ (callings ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] A calling is a profession or career which someone is strongly attracted to, especially one which involves helping other people. □ He was a consultant physician, a serious man dedicated to his calling.
ca ll|ing card (calling cards ) N‑COUNT A calling card is a small card with personal information about you on it, such as your name and address, which you can give to people when you go to visit them. [mainly AM ]
cal|li|per /kæ l I pə r / → see caliper
cal|lis|then|ics /kæ l I sθe n I ks/ → see calisthenics
cal|lous /kæ ləs/ ADJ A callous person or action is very cruel and shows no concern for other people or their feelings. □ …his callous disregard for human life. ● cal|lous|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …the callousness of Raymond's murder. ● cal|lous|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ She callously put her daughter's life in peril.
cal|loused /kæ ləst/ also callused ADJ A foot or hand that is calloused is covered in calluses. □ …blunt, calloused fingers.
cal|low /kæ loʊ/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A callow young person has very little experience or knowledge of the way they should behave as an adult. □ …a callow youth.
ca ll sign (call signs ) N‑COUNT A call sign is the letters and numbers which identify a person, vehicle, or organization that is broadcasting on the radio or sending messages by radio.
ca ll-up (call-ups )
1 ADJ [ADJ n] If a person gets their call-up papers, they receive an official order to join the armed forces.
2 N‑COUNT A call-up is an occasion on which people are ordered to report for service in the armed forces. □ [+ of ] The call-up of National Guard and reserve units begun in late August.
cal|lus /kæ ləs/ (calluses ) N‑COUNT A callus is an unwanted area of thick skin, usually on the palms of your hands or the soles of your feet, which has been caused by something rubbing against it.
call wai t|ing N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Call waiting is a telephone service that sends you a signal if another call arrives while you are already on the phone.
calm ◆◇◇ /kɑː m/ (calmer , calmest , calms , calming , calmed )
1 ADJ A calm person does not show or feel any worry, anger, or excitement. □ She is usually a calm and diplomatic woman. □ Try to keep calm and just tell me what happened. □ She sighed, then continued in a soft, calm voice. ● N‑UNCOUNT [oft a N ] Calm is also a noun. □ He felt a sudden sense of calm, of contentment. ● calm|ly ADV [usu ADV with v, oft ADV adj] □ Alan looked at him and said calmly, 'I don't believe you.'
2 VERB If you calm someone, you do something to make them feel less angry, worried, or excited. □ [V pron-refl] She was breathing quickly and tried to calm herself. □ [V n] Some people say smoking calms your nerves. ● calm|ing ADJ □ …a fresh, cool fragrance which produces a very calming effect on the mind.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Calm is used to refer to a quiet, still, or peaceful atmosphere in a place. □ [+ of ] …the rural calm of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
4 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If someone says that a place is calm , they mean that it is free from fighting or public disorder, when trouble has recently occurred there or had been expected. [JOURNALISM ] □ The city of Sarajevo appears relatively calm today. ● N‑UNCOUNT [oft a N ] Calm is also a noun. □ Community and church leaders have appealed for calm and no retaliation.
5 VERB To calm a situation means to reduce the amount of trouble, violence, or panic there is. □ [V n] Mr Beazer tried to calm the protests.
6 ADJ If the sea or a lake is calm , the water is not moving very much and there are no big waves. □ …as we slid into the calm waters of Cowes Harbour.
7 ADJ Calm weather is pleasant weather with little or no wind. □ Tuesday was a fine, clear and calm day.
8 N‑COUNT In sailing, a flat calm or a dead calm is a condition of the sea or the weather in which there is very little wind or movement of the water. [TECHNICAL ]
9 VERB When the sea calms , it becomes still because the wind stops blowing strongly. When the wind calms , it stops blowing strongly. □ [V ] Dawn came, the sea calmed but the cold was as bitter as ever.