Meaning & use
on-call
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Available to come to work or give help whenever you are needed, even outside normal hours.
Grammar: Before a noun: an on-call nurse. After a verb, write it as two words: the nurse is on call.
Patterns
- on-call doctor
- be on call
The on-call plumber arrived within an hour.
Our hospital has an on-call surgeon every night.
She works an on-call schedule, so she can get a phone call at any time.
adverbafter a verb
Ready and available to be called to work at short notice.
Grammar: Used after be or work: he is on call this weekend.
Patterns
- be on call
- work on call
I'm on call tonight, so I can't go out.
Doctors take turns being on call on weekends.
He is on call for the help desk until Monday.
Common combinations
- on-call doctor
- The on-call doctor was paged at midnight.
- on-call schedule
- The on-call schedule changes every week.
- on-call duty
- On-call duty means keeping your phone nearby.
- on-call staff
- On-call staff are paid extra for evenings.
- be on call
- I'm on call this weekend.
Synonyms and how they differ
- standby
- Standby means ready to act and also describes backup items, while on-call suggests a worker waiting for a summons.
- available
- Available only means free to be reached, while on-call means formally required to respond.
- reachable
- Reachable only says someone can be contacted, whereas on-call carries a duty to respond.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: on-call or on demand?
on-call vs on demand
On demand describes a service available whenever a customer asks, while on-call describes a worker who is available.
Practice
The vet isn't working a normal shift tonight, but she must answer if there is an emergency. She is ___.
Choose one answer.
On call means ready to be summoned for work. Off duty implies no obligation, so it is wrong, because she still must respond.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “on-call”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.