call for
Idioms-
Go to get someone or something, as in John said he'd call for Mary at eight , or Someone's at the door, calling for the package . [First half of 1600s]
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Summon someone or something. For example, The audience called for the playwright , or The judge called for the verdict . [First half of 1500s]
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Require, demand, as in This job calls for a lot of patience . [First half of 1700s] Also see no call for ; uncalled for .
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.
He did not cite any specific report that led to his call for a ban.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
"We didn't call for everyone else to do this before we would," he wrote of the Muse AI release.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Simmering worries that the technology could wipe out civilization and launch cyberattacks reached a boil at the office and around the dinner table—and prompted AI leaders to call for more regulation of the technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
It was a revelation, and a wake-up call, for fellow retailers.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
We should grab the radio and call for the plane and go home and eat a hamburger and a malt, maybe eight or ten Cokes, a steak, some roasts and pork chops....
From "The River" by Gary Paulsen
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.
