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Office & Administration vocabulary · Phone Calls & Etiquette

Take a message

Meaning in office & administration, with examples

phraseCore term

In office & administration, take a message means: To write down information from a caller for someone who is not available, such as the caller's name, number and reason for calling.

In Turkish: not almak, mesaj almak

How it is used

A standard offer on the phone when the person is busy or out: "I'm afraid she's in a meeting. Can I take a message?" A good message includes the caller's name (spelled correctly), company, number, time of call and whether they want a call back.

Example sentences

  1. He's out of the office until two. Can I take a message?

  2. Could you take a message and ask her to call me back today?

Common collocations

  • take a message
  • leave a message
  • pass on a message
  • give someone a message
  • call backTo phone someone again, or to return a call from someone who tried to phone you earlier.
  • voicemailA system that records phone messages when the person you call does not answer; also a message recorded in this way.
  • put on holdTo keep a caller waiting on the line for a short time, usually while you check something or find the right person.
  • May I ask who's calling?A polite question used on the phone to find out the caller's name before passing them to the person they want to speak to.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Phone Calls & Etiquette

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