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call-and-response
[ kawl-uhn-ri-spons ]
adjective
- noting or pertaining to a style of singing in which a melody sung by one singer is responded to or echoed by one or more singers.
- noting or pertaining to rapid, spontaneous verbal and nonverbal interaction between speaker and listener, in which all statements are punctuated by expressions from the listener.
noun
- call-and-response singing.
- call-and-response interaction between speaker and listener.
call-and-response
noun
- a form of interaction between a speaker and one or more listeners, in which every utterance of the speaker elicits a verbal or non-verbal response from the listener or listeners
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Word History and Origins
Origin of call-and-response1
First recorded in 1820–30
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Example Sentences
The parade was solemn, with reverent music and the call-and-response singing of two choirs.
From The Daily Beast
It looked choreographed, and was a natural, albeit slightly risqué, call-and-response.
From The Daily Beast
It was getting close to being a call-and-response kind of speech.
From The Daily Beast
Now listen to this call-and-response from across the decades.
From The Daily Beast
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