Call out means to shout or say something loudly (a name, a number, an answer), or to shout to someone to get their attention: call out to someone. “Call someone out” also means to openly point out someone's bad behaviour or mistake, often with “on”: She called him out on his rude comments.
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call out + name/number/answer; call out to + person; call + person + out (on + behaviour); call out + plumber/doctor (UK)
- At the gate, an airline worker called out our names and checked our passports again.
- I called out to my neighbour, but she didn't hear me over the traffic.
- My friend called me out on being late all the time, and she was right.
What changed
First versionI called out him across the street, but he had headphones on.
RevisionI called out to him across the street, but he had headphones on.
When you shout to someone from a distance, English needs “to”: “called out to him”. Without it, the sentence doesn't work. And if the pronoun goes in the middle, “called him out”, the meaning changes to “criticised him openly”.
In British English, “call out” also means to ask a tradesperson or a doctor to come urgently: We had to call out a plumber on Sunday night. It isn't used for taxis: people say “call a taxi” or “book a taxi”.
Your turn
When her manager presented her idea as his own, Mia ___ on it in front of the whole team.
Show the answer
called him out — Mia openly challenged her manager in front of the whole team, so “called him out” is right. “Called him up” means “phoned him”, but the situation needs public criticism, not a phone call.
Write about a time when you, or someone else in your presence, openly pointed out a person's bad behaviour. Say what was wrong and how the person reacted.
At a team meeting, I called a colleague out on interrupting new people, and he apologised and let them finish.
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