Phrase guide

roll call

noun · verb · 6 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.

  • General-American: /ˈɹoʊl ˌkɑl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The reading aloud of a list of names, and subsequent responses, in order to determine who is present or absent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • take roll call

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The reading aloud of a list of names, and subsequent responses, in order to determine who is present or absent.

Such an event in a legislative body in order to determine if a quorum exists.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, politics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The reading aloud of a list of names, and subsequent responses, in order to determine who is present or absent.

The time of day fixed for such an event.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The subset of those members of a specific group who are present or available out of the full set of all the members of said group.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To read aloud from a list of names, in order to determine who is present or absent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

calling out an official list of names

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: utterance, vocalization

Narrower terms: mail call, muster call, attendance check

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

44 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تَفَقُّدٌ (tafaqqudun) — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Arabic: تَفَقُّدات (tafaqqudāt) — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Chinese Mandarin: 點名 /点名 (diǎnmíng) — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Czech: nástup — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Czech: prezence — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Czech: apel — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Czech: docházka — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Danish: navneopråb — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Danish: appel — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Danish: mønstring — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Dutch: appel — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Dutch: naamafroeping — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Finnish: nimenhuuto — reading of a list of names and responses
  • French: appel — reading of a list of names and responses
  • French: appel nominal — reading of a list of names and responses
  • German: Appell — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Greek: προσκλητήριο (prosklitírio) — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Hebrew: מפקד — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Hebrew: מִפְקָד — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Hungarian: névsorolvasás — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Irish: glaoch rolla — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Italian: appello — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Macedonian: прозив (proziv) — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Polish: apel — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Portuguese: chamada — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Romani: prezenta — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Romanian: prezenta — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Russian: перекли́чка (pereklíčka) — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Russian: сбор (sbor) — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Spanish: pase de lista — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Spanish: pasada de nómina — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Spanish: pasamiento de planilla — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Spanish: tomadura de nómina — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Spanish: tomamiento de planilla — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Swedish: upprop — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Turkish: yoklama — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Ukrainian: перекличка (pereklyčka) — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Ukrainian: переклик (pereklyk) — reading of a list of names and responses
  • Finnish: nimenhuuto — time of day for the event
  • Swedish: uppställning — time of day for the event
  • Swedish: upprop — such an event in a legislative body
  • Indonesian: absen — Translations
  • Spanish: pasar nómina — Translations
  • Spanish: tomar planilla — Translations