call-and-response

American  

[kawl-uhn-ri-spons] / ˈkɔl ən rɪˈspɒns /

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to a style of singing in which a melody sung by one singer is responded to or echoed by one or more singers.

2. noting or pertaining to rapid, spontaneous verbal and nonverbal interaction between speaker and listener, in which all statements are punctuated by expressions from the listener.

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noun

1. call-and-response singing.

2. call-and-response interaction between speaker and listener.

call-and-response British  

noun

1. a form of interaction between a speaker and one or more listeners, in which every utterance of the speaker elicits a verbal or non-verbal response from the listener or listeners

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Etymology

Origin of call-and-response

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

Kevitt then led a call-and-response with the crowd: “Walking, biking, is our right. We will not give up the fight!” they chanted.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2026

The French audience needed only seconds of the latter’s familiar call-and-response from piano and horns to feel moved to applaud.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025

He then led the 72,000-strong crowd in an improvised call-and-response "Aaaaaay-o" chant, later dubbed The Note Heard Round the World.

From BBC • Nov. 18, 2025

After Charlize Theron read his name as the victor, Foxx hugged Corinne and took to the stage, keeping the energy going by getting the audience to do Charles’ signature call-and-response of “oooh!” and “aaah!”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2024

“Five minutes!” my entire chalk of Airborne candidates yelled back at him in the military’s famous call-and-response cadence.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore