call names

English

Verb

call names (third-person singular simple present calls names, present participle calling names, simple past and past participle called names)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To use abusive or insulting language, engage in name-calling.
   • 2025 April 21, Laurent Belsie, “Markets falter as Trump attacks Fed’s independence – and its chair”, in The Christian Science Monitor:

     [A]s [US president Donald Trump] turns up the pressure – calling the Fed chair [Jerome Powell] names and questioning his acumen – he’s ignited a firestorm in legal and financial circles.

Related terms

• call someone every name in the book
• call someone everything but a child of God

Translations

Translations

• Catalan: motiuejar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 罵……是 / 骂……是 (mà ... shì), 罵人 / 骂人 (zh) (màrén)

• Dutch: schelden (nl)
• Finnish: nimitellä (fi)
• French: insulter (fr)
• German: beflegeln (de) (Austria)
• Greek: βρίζω (el) (vrízo)
• Hindi: ^{(please verify)} टू-तू मैं-मैं करना (ṭū-tū ma͠i-ma͠i karnā)
• Polish: przezywać (pl) impf, przezwać pf
• Russian: обзыва́ть (ru) impf (obzyvátʹ), обозва́ть (ru) pf (obozvátʹ) (transitive + the abuse in instrumental case), обзыва́ться (ru) impf (obzyvátʹsja), обозва́ться (ru) pf (obozvátʹsja) (intransitive)
• Spanish: motejar (es), echar pestes