call-and-response

noun

call-and-re·​sponse ˌkȯl-ən(d)-ri-ˈspän(t)s How to pronounce call-and-response (audio)
: a statement quickly followed by an answering statement
also : a musical phrase in which the first and often solo part is answered by a second and often ensemble part

Examples of call-and-response in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There’s a Light By 1980, ticket buyers were doing the time warp, again, at call-and-response screenings. Joe Lynch, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2025 There's lip-syncing and dancing as the audience interacts with the film through call-and-response lines and the use of props. Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025 The firefighter showed off his singing skills in a call-and-response style as the ladies finished the sentence to the song’s lyrics. Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025 Indeed, there is an element of call-and-response to the We Do Not Care Club, which Sanders herself has, consciously or not, encouraged. Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for call-and-response

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of call-and-response was in 1827

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Cite this Entry

“Call-and-response.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/call-and-response. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

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