roll call

noun

1
: the act or an instance of calling off a list of names (as for checking attendance)
also : a time for a roll call
2

Examples of roll call in a Sentence

Two students missed roll call. the roll call of the fallen was read aloud at the memorial service
Recent Examples on the Web During yesterday's vote, the roll call ended in a rare 215-215 tie — until GOP Rep. Blake Moore of Utah switched his vote to no at the last minute so that lawmakers could vote again. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 7 Feb. 2024 But lawmakers still managed to hold over 1,000 roll call votes between the Senate and the House of Representatives, giving us a trove of data to dissect and analyze. Tia Yang, ABC News, 29 Jan. 2024 Here’s a roll call of the 49ers’ injuries other than Ferrell and Armstead: — Running back Christian McCaffrey, who sat out a 21-20 loss to the Ram with a calf strain, won’t practice this week but is expected back next week. Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 10 Jan. 2024 And the sight of a female supervisor running a crime briefing barely rates a glance anymore from officers filing into a roll call room. Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2024 Soldiers took roll call every day for some 120 detainees in gray jumpsuits. Hajar Harb, Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2024 Sunday’s afternoon roll call was at 1 p.m. With less than an hour to lie down on the concrete floor and enjoy the rare warmth emanating from around him, David shut his eyes to rest in his sanitized, poisonous cocoon. Keren Blankfeld, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Jan. 2024 But the roll call vote begins to reveal the depth of unease among U.S. lawmakers over Israel's prosecution of the war against Hamas. CBS News, 16 Jan. 2024 This year, however, Taylor Swift — whose record-breaking Eras Tour and re-recordings have dominated 2023 — did not make the roll call. Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 12 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'roll call.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of roll call was in 1763

Dictionary Entries Near roll call

Cite this Entry

“Roll call.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roll%20call. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

roll call

noun
: the action of calling off a list of names (as for checking attendance)
also : a time for a roll call

Legal Definition

roll call

noun
: the act or an instance of calling off a list of names (as for checking attendance)
specifically : an act or instance of calling the roll of a legislative body to determine if there is a quorum or to vote on a matter
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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