Phrase guide

call sign

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A combination of letters and numbers used to identify a radio or television station.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: broadcasting, media

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: call letters

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any combination of characters or pronounceable words, which identifies a communication facility, a command, an authority, an activity, or a unit; used primarily for establishing and maintaining communications.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: CS

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

47 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: رَمْز نِدَاء (ramz nidāʔ) — letters used to identify a station
  • Belarusian: пазыўны́ (pazywný) — letters used to identify a station
  • Bulgarian: повиква́телен знак (povikvátelen znak) — letters used to identify a station
  • Chinese Mandarin: 無線電呼號 /无线电呼号 (wúxiàndiàn hūhào) — letters used to identify a station
  • Czech: volací znak — letters used to identify a station
  • Czech: volací značka — letters used to identify a station
  • Danish: kaldesignal — letters used to identify a station
  • Dutch: roepletters — letters used to identify a station
  • Faroese: kallitekin — letters used to identify a station
  • Finnish: kutsumerkki — letters used to identify a station
  • Finnish: kutsutunnus — letters used to identify a station
  • French: indicatif d'appel — letters used to identify a station
  • French: indicatif — letters used to identify a station
  • Galician: indicativo — letters used to identify a station
  • German: Rufzeichen — letters used to identify a station
  • German: Anrufzeichen — letters used to identify a station
  • German: Stationskennung — letters used to identify a station
  • Greek: σημάδι κλήσης (simádi klísis) — letters used to identify a station
  • Hungarian: hívójel — letters used to identify a station
  • Icelandic: kallmerki — letters used to identify a station
  • Italian: segnale di chiamata — letters used to identify a station
  • Italian: indicativo di chiamata — letters used to identify a station
  • Japanese: 呼出符号 (yobidashi fugō) — letters used to identify a station
  • Japanese: 識別信号 (shikibetsu shingō) — letters used to identify a station
  • Japanese: コールサイン (kōru sain) — letters used to identify a station
  • Korean: 호출부호 (hochulbuho) — letters used to identify a station
  • Korean: 콜사인 (kolsain) — letters used to identify a station
  • Latin: indicativum — letters used to identify a station
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kallesignal — letters used to identify a station
  • Norwegian Bokmål: anrop — letters used to identify a station
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kallesignal — letters used to identify a station
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: tilrop — letters used to identify a station
  • Iranian Persian: شِناسِهٔ تَماس — letters used to identify a station
  • Iranian Persian: عَلامَتِ تَماس — letters used to identify a station
  • Polish: znak wywoławczy — letters used to identify a station
  • Portuguese: indicativo — letters used to identify a station
  • Romanian: indicativ de apel — letters used to identify a station
  • Russian: позывно́й (pozyvnój) — letters used to identify a station
  • Slovak: volacia značka — letters used to identify a station
  • Slovak: volací znak — letters used to identify a station
  • Spanish: indicativo — letters used to identify a station
  • Swedish: anropssignal — letters used to identify a station
  • Turkish: çağrı kodu — letters used to identify a station
  • Ukrainian: позивни́й (pozyvnýj) — letters used to identify a station
  • German: Rufname — unique identifier to military communications
  • German: Rufzeichen — unique identifier to military communications
  • German: Callsign — unique identifier to military communications