What does placing a round bracket after a variable in PHP signify?

Placing a round bracket after a variable in PHP signifies that the variable is being treated as a function. This can be useful when the variable holds a callable value like a function name or an anonymous function. By using the round brackets, you can execute the function stored in the variable. Example:

// Define a function
function greet($name) {
    echo "Hello, $name!";
}

// Assign the function name to a variable
$func = 'greet';

// Call the function using the variable
$func('John');