| 1. | the interval of light between two successive nights; the time between sunrise and sunset: Since there was no artificial illumination, all activities had to be carried on during the day. |
| 2. | the light of day; daylight: The owl sleeps by day and feeds by night. |
| 3. | Astronomy.
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| 4. | an analogous division of time for a planet other than the earth: the Martian day. |
| 5. | the portion of a day allotted to work: an eight-hour day. |
| 6. | a day on which something occurs: the day we met. |
| 7. | (often initial capital letter ) a day assigned to a particular purpose or observance: New Year's Day. |
| 8. | a time considered as propitious or opportune: His day will come. |
| 9. | a day of contest or the contest itself: to win the day. |
| 10. | Often, days. a particular time or period: the present day; in days of old. |
| 11. | Usually, days. period of life or activity: His days are numbered. |
| 12. | period of existence, power, or influence: in the day of the dinosaurs. |
| 13. | light 1 (def. 19a). |
| 14. | call it a day, to stop one's activity for the day or for the present; quit temporarily: After rewriting the paper, she decided to call it a day. |
| 15. | day in, day out, every day without fail; regularly: They endured the noise and dirt of the city day in, day out. Also, day in and day out. |

call (kôl) v. called, call·ing, calls v. tr.
call back
call in
call out
Idiom(s): call a spade a spadeTo speak directly, precisely, and forthrightly. Idiom(s): call in/into questionTo raise doubts about. Idiom(s): call it a day Informal To stop what one has been doing, for the remainder of the day or at least for the present. Idiom(s): call it a night Informal To stop what one has been doing, for the remainder of the night. Idiom(s): call it quits Informal To stop working or trying; quit. Idiom(s): call namesTo speak to or about another in offensive terms. Idiom(s): call of natureA need to urinate or defecate. Often used with answer: He left the room to answer the call of nature. Idiom(s): call (someone's) bluffTo challenge another with a display of strength or confidence. Idiom(s): call the shots/tune Informal To exercise authority; be in charge. Idiom(s): on call
Idiom(s): within callClose enough to come if summoned: The nurse is within call if you need him. [Middle English callen, probably from Old Norse kalla; see gal- in Indo-European roots.] Synonyms: These verbs mean to demand or request to appear, come, or assemble: called a taxi; convened a meeting; will convoke the legislature; mustering the militia; summoned a witness. Our Living Language : African American Vernacular English (AAVE) uses call oneself with a present participle, as in They call themselves dancing, to express the idea that the people being talked about are not very good at what they're doing (in this example, dancing), even though they may think they are. This construction has a structure and meaning similar to the Standard English use of call oneself with a noun phrase or adjective, as in She calls herself intelligent or He calls himself a dancer. |
| day (dā) Pronunciation Key
See under sidereal time, solar day. |
call it a day
Stop a particular activity for the rest of the day, as in It's past five o'clock so let's call it a day. Similarly, call it a night means "to stop something for the rest of the night," as in One more hand of bridge and then let's call it a night. The original phrase was call it half a day, first recorded in 1838, which referred to leaving one's place of employment before the work day was over. The first recorded use of call it a day was in 1919, and of call it a night in 1938. Also see call it quits.