port of call

noun phrase

1
: an intermediate port where ships customarily stop for supplies, repairs, or transshipment of cargo
2
: a stop included on an itinerary

Examples of port of call in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Items longer than that may only be used on land, in ports of call, and must be stored in guest staterooms while onboard. — Eve Chen, USA Today, 3 June 2026 The pharmacy is their first port of call, instead of a spa, department store, orsocial media algorithm. — Pooja Mistry, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026 Its final port of call before reaching Acapulco was Colima. — Daniel Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2026 The art world is obsessed with newness, and is always ready to anoint a new port of call as the next place where canvas-hungry collectors grow on trees and new institutions go on years-long buying sprees. — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 10 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for port of call

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of port of call was in 1838

Rhymes for port of call

See All Rhymes for port of call

Browse Nearby Words

portocaval
port of call
port of discharge
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Port of call.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/port%20of%20call. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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