: allowing listeners to engage in broadcast telephone conversations with the host or a guest
a call-in show
called in; calling in; calls in
1
: to order to return or to be returned: such as
a
: to withdraw from an advanced position
call in the outposts
b
: to withdraw from circulation
call in bank notes and issue new ones
2
: to summon to one's aid or for consultation
call in a mediator
3
: to deliver (a message) by telephone
call in an order for pizza
: to communicate with a person by telephone
see also:
Examples of call-in in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
For the return of his show, Bongino excitedly promised a call-in from the president himself.
—Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 2 Feb. 2026
Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2026
Both actors are calling in from New York City, where Ball is about to make his Broadway debut in a new play, Becky Shaw, while Briones is preparing to join the cast of the musical Just in Time for her second turn on Broadway this April.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for call-in
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Adjective
In December, during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual call-in show, a war reporter for the Kremlin’s main propaganda channel asked why the military had failed to develop its own version of this weapon after nearly four years of war.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
For the return of his show, Bongino excitedly promised a call-in from the president himself.
—Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 2 Feb. 2026
Verb
Fry got out of the truck ranting and throwing sheets of paper on the ground, and left behind an orange duffel bag that prompted police to call in the bomb squad.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2026
Both actors are calling in from New York City, where Ball is about to make his Broadway debut in a new play, Becky Shaw, while Briones is preparing to join the cast of the musical Just in Time for her second turn on Broadway this April.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for call-in
Cite this Entry
“Call-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/call-in. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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