callout

1 of 2

noun

call·​out ˈkȯl-ˌau̇t 

1

: the act or an instance of calling out

2

: an often bordered inset in a printed article or illustration that usually includes a key excerpt or detail

call out

2 of 2

verb

called out; calling out; calls out

transitive verb

1

: to summon into action

call out troops

2

: to challenge to a duel

3

: to order on strike

call out the workers

4

: to publicly criticize or fault (someone)

The FDA will have to start forcing companies to be transparent and call them out on it when they're not.

—Massimo Calabresi et al.

Examples of callout in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Then, a very welcome callout came over the airwaves. —Denise Chow, NBC news, 11 Apr. 2026

Their callouts vacillated from descriptions riddled with scientific jargon to exclamations of awe and joy. —Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2026

Verb

Other tech leaders last week also called out a desire for more AI compute amid growing opportunity for monetization, including Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. —Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2026

The North Carolina Association of Educators is encouraging teachers to call out of work on May 1 for a march in Raleigh to call for higher state investment in public education. —Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 14 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1882, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for callout

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout