call-up
noun
an order to report for active military service.
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c-l-u-.
call-up
American
[kawl-uhp]
/ ˈkɔlˌʌp /
noun
call-ups
plural
-
an order to report for active military service.
-
the number of persons drafted during a specific period of time.
The November call-up was set at 15,000.
-
a call or urging to service.
call up
British
verb
-
to summon to report for active military service, as in time of war
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(tr) to recall (something); evoke
his words called up old memories
-
(tr) to bring or summon (people, etc) into action
to call up reinforcements
-
to telephone
noun
call up
Idioms
-
Summon to military service, as in He was called up for active duty . [Late 1600s]
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Cause to remember, bring to mind, as in These stories call up old times . [c. 1700] Also see call to mind .
-
Telephone someone, as in I'll call up the theater and find out about tickets . [Late 1800s]
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Retrieve data from a computer memory, as in I asked him to call up the last quarter's sales figures . [Second half of 1900s]
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of call-up
First recorded in 1625–35; noun use of verb phrase call up
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
However, that plan had to be scrapped when the 27-year-old received a late call-up to Carlo Ancelotti's World Cup squad.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
That came in the spring of 2025, about 11 months after his dad had been sacked as coach, when Pochettino, the new manager, gave the younger Berhalter his first national team call-up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Born in Dronten and developed entirely within the Dutch system, Ziyech represented the Netherlands at youth level and even received a senior call-up in 2015.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Manchester United have already agreed a deal to sign Ederson from Atalanta, but the £35m man's move has been delayed as he was a late call-up to the Brazil World Cup squad.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
Because of Margot’s call-up notice, the plan had to be moved up ten days, which meant we’d have to make do with less orderly rooms.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
The Jamaican side have been forced to call up a number of academy players for the fixture.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026
Picture “The Fugitive” if, instead of racing around to clear his name, Dr. Kimble was forced to sit still the whole time and call up files on the internet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
During the last international camp, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel said he will only call up two players for that position.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025
That foundational constitutional authority in turn supports Title 10 USC 12406, which allows a president to call up the militia — but only under specific, statutorily defined circumstances.
From Salon ● Nov. 17, 2025
I call up images of my other paintings.
From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson
The T20 squads are the same as for the World Cup, while wicketkeeper Kira Chathli and all-rounder Jodi Grewcock earn their first call-ups for the one-day internationals against the White Ferns.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
As well as Pattinson and Denton, there have been call-ups for Tottenham's Ella Morris and Manchester City's Naomi Layzell before they sustained lengthy injuries.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
The initial high number of call-ups among reservists has decreased throughout the war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
There were also call-ups for uncapped 19-year-olds Edoardo Todaro, a centre with Northampton, and Enoch Opoku Gyamfi, a lock currently on Bath's books.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025
They have been resigned to playing the long game, trying to weather key injuries and extended absences with a revolving door of minor-league call-ups.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2025
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
