collect call
C1Informal to neutral, somewhat dated due to technological change.
Definition
Meaning
A telephone call where the recipient agrees to pay the charges.
A reverse-charge call; a method of telephoning where the payment responsibility is transferred from the caller to the called party. It has become a culturally recognized concept often associated with requests for financial help or contacting someone without funds.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a compound noun. The concept is largely historical in personal communication due to mobile phones and VoIP, but remains a technical term in telephony. The stress pattern is typically on 'collect'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In British English, 'reverse-charge call' is the official and more common term, though 'collect call' is understood. In American English, 'collect call' is standard; 'reverse-charge' is rarely used.
Connotations
In both varieties, it can connote a lack of money or an urgent/emergency situation.
Frequency
Much more frequent in American English media and historical usage. In contemporary UK English, 'reverse-charge' is the formal term, but the service and term are now archaic.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
to make a collect call (to someone)to accept a collect call (from someone)to place a collect call (from a payphone)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Collect calling is a dead technology.”
- “It's a collect call from the past (metaphorical).”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare in modern business; historically used for urgent client contact when travelling without company funds.
Academic
Used in historical or sociological studies of communication technology.
Everyday
Largely historical. Used in stories or to explain past situations ("I had to make a collect call from the station").
Technical
A specific billing option in legacy telephony systems, defined in tariffs and switching protocols.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- I need to reverse the charges to my home number.
- She reverse-charged the call to her office.
American English
- He tried to collect-call his parents from the airport.
- Can I collect call this number?
adverb
British English
- He called reverse-charge. (less common)
American English
- She called me collect from a roadside phone.
adjective
British English
- It was a reverse-charge call from abroad.
- The reverse-charge call facility is no longer advertised.
American English
- I received a collect call from a correctional facility.
- The collect call option was listed on the payphone.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- He made a collect call to his mum.
- When I was young, I made a collect call home because I had no money.
- The prisoner's only permitted contact was a monitored collect call once a week.
- The proliferation of mobile phones has rendered the collect call an anachronism, save for specific institutional contexts.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'COLLECT the payment from the person you CALL.' The cost is collected from the recipient.
Conceptual Metaphor
COMMUNICATION IS A TRANSACTION OF VALUE (where value/charge is redirected).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque 'коллектный звонок'. The correct Russian equivalent is 'разговор по междугороднему телефону с оплатой вызываемым абонентом' or the dated colloquialism 'разговор за счёт вызываемого'.
- Do not confuse with 'conference call' (телеконференция).
Common Mistakes
- Using 'collective call' (incorrect).
- Using it as a verb without 'make' or 'place' (e.g., 'I will collect call you' is wrong).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary characteristic of a collect call?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is largely obsolete for personal use due to mobile phones, but may exist in some prisons, hospitals, or legacy landline systems.
Historically, you would say, "I'd like to make a collect call, please," or "I'd like to reverse the charges." Automated systems later replaced operators.
In American English, 'to collect-call' is used informally (e.g., "I collect-called him"). In British English, the verb phrase 'to reverse the charges' is standard.
In a collect call, the *specific person you call* pays. In a toll-free call (e.g., 800 number), the *company or organization being called* pays, and it is free for the caller.