# caller

/ˈkɔɫɝ/ (US) · /kˈɔːlɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/caller
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. telephone

noun · CEFR B1

the person who is making a telephone call to you.

For teachers: the individual who initiates a telephonic communication.

- The caller hung up before I could reach the phone.
- The receptionist asked the caller to hold while she attempted to locate the manager in the warehouse.

### 2. visitor

noun · CEFR B2 · Formal

a person who visits a place or someone's home.

For teachers: a person who pays a visit, often used in a slightly formal or traditional context.

- We weren't expecting any callers so late in the evening.
- The old manor house rarely received callers, as the owner preferred a life of quiet seclusion.

### 3. announcer

noun · CEFR B2

the person who calls out numbers in a game like bingo or tells dancers which moves to make.

For teachers: the person responsible for announcing numbers in games of chance or directing participants in traditional dances.

- The bingo caller shouted the numbers clearly so everyone could hear.
- The square dance caller kept the energy high, guiding the couples through a series of increasingly complex patterns.

### 4. programming

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a piece of computer code that starts or runs another piece of code.

For teachers: a function or routine that invokes another function, which is known as the callee.

- The error happened because the caller sent the wrong type of data.
- If the callee encounters an exception, it must be handled by the caller to prevent the entire application from crashing.

Usage: Often used in the context of stack traces or debugging to identify the source of a command.

## Examples

- The caller hung up before I could answer.
- The customer service agent asked the caller to stay on the line while they checked the account details.
- If the caller remains anonymous, the system automatically routes the request to a security screening queue before connecting to a live representative.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.