call down

verb

called down; calling down; calls down

transitive verb

1

: to cause or entreat to descend

call down a blessing

2

: reprimand

called me down for being late

Synonyms of call down

• scold
• lecture
• reprimand
• rail (at or against)
• blame
• criticize
• dress down

Examples of call down in a Sentence

I was called down by my supervisor for not catching the accounting error sooner.

Recent Examples on the Web

Armed with a name, Polyphemus is able to call down his father’s wrath on Odysseus. — Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 June 2026

After leaving the field at the end of the third, Fried walked into the tunnel leading to the visitors’ clubhouse, flanked by pitching coach Matt Blake, who immediately called down to the bullpen to have Paul Blackburn warm up. — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 13 May 2026

Even the New York State Police had been called down to join, and were standing around in their purple ties and Dudley Do-Right hats. — Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 29 Apr. 2026

King called down to Branch from the balcony of a hotel where several iconic musicians had made entries into the catalogue of protest music. — Jack Armstrong, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 22 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for call down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown