callback

noun

call·​back ˈkȯl-ˌbak How to pronounce callback (audio)
plural callbacks
1
: a return call
Coming up with a solid reason for one more callback, finding a way to get hold of someone "impossible" to reach, getting the order in before the competition can even quote prices—these are what professional selling is all about …Jack Falvey
I know how this works, so I won't hold my breath. Meanwhile, I'm papering my cubical walls with memos to myself reminding me I'm still waiting for a callback from thus-and-such public-information office.Denise Civiletti
2
a
: recall sense 5
product callbacks
b
: an instance of requesting or directing someone to return: such as
(1)
: a recall of an employee to work after a layoff
… worked at Fairfield for two years and was involved in the layoff and callback earlier this year.Max Showalter
(2)
: a second or additional audition (as for a theatrical part)
… will be weeding through the 50 young actors displaying their talents this afternoon to arrive at a short list of those deemed worthy of an immediate callback interview.Richard Conniff
3
: something (such as a comment, image, or character) that evokes an earlier instance
"Most of the characters are going to be new. We do have a few callbacks, a couple of cameos that kind of come up from previous games. …"James Lopez
often used with to
… Emmy-winning 30Rock, which is shot through with inside jokes and tightly woven callbacks to past episodes …James Poniewozik
… there are callbacks in the show to the events taking place in the movie.Rayan Sayyed
… Connelly and Cruise also share a scene on the back of a motorcycle that is a visual callback to one of the most famous images from the original film …Zach Seemayer
[Serena Williams'] beaded hoop earrings were a callback to the beaded braids she wore in her youth.Sandra E. Garcia and Antonio de Luca

Examples of callback in a Sentence

She got constant callbacks from the salesman even after she asked him to stop calling. With the latest callback, the factory will employ 30,000 workers. If he used better materials, he wouldn't have so many callbacks.
Recent Examples on the Web The coupé debuted at the 2010 Paris Motor Show and was meant to be a forward-thinking callback to Jaguar’s glory days. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2024 Wally’s world was better after the callback inspection the next day. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 Russia’s war economy is looking pretty Soviet Russia’s hot war with Ukraine—which is boosting the former’s economy—is having some chilly callbacks to the Soviet Union’s longstanding detente with the United States, namely that state military spending is crowding out other forms of economic growth. Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 13 Feb. 2024 But naming this property Hubb House was less about that callback and more about following in the footsteps of her grandparents. Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024 In what could be perceived as a callback, the episode ends with the death of another dog (this time, by coyote, not by an exterminator). Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Feb. 2024 The horses are greeted in town by a Labrador retriever, another nostalgic callback to previous Super Bowl ads that feature both the iconic Clydesdales and a lab. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2024 Crumbley testified that this was another instance of the family’s quirky humor and callback to her own troublemaking youth. Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2024 Tesla recalls Cybertruck Tesla's Cybertruck recall, part of a larger 2.2-million vehicle callback, addresses a software flaw impacting warning light visibility. Detroit Free Press, 3 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'callback.' 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

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of callback was in 1890

Dictionary Entries Near callback

Cite this Entry

“Callback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/callback. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

callback

noun
call·​back ˈkȯl-ˌbak How to pronounce callback (audio)
1
: a return call
2

More from Merriam-Webster on callback

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