call-up
noun
an order to report for active military service.
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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
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(tr) to bring or summon (people, etc) into action
to call up reinforcements
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to telephone
noun
call up
Idioms
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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 .
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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:
Pride hit .444 with three extra-base hits and five RBIs in nine at-bats as a September call-up for the Expos in 1993.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
For Rasool, Auqib's Test call-up carries significance far beyond one player.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
The 20-year-old was a revelation on loan at Kilmarnock in the second half of last season, earning a call-up to Scotland's World Cup squad.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Ryan, who made four major-league starts in 2024, has the stuff to compete in the majors, but health has kept him from another call-up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
The military exercised its largest call-up since the war.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Many people do not have primary care physicians, and often those who do cannot easily call up their doctors to ask questions.
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
They continually call up guys, have them make one appearance and then no matter how successful they are sent down for a “fresh arm.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
Asked whether he thinks she will take him up on the offer of playing tennis with George and Charlotte, Fery said: "Let's see, I don't know. Let's see if I get the call up."
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
It says plenty that, instead of calling up a bowler immediately once the latter went down, they waited until mid-tournament to call up Smith, a batter.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
He also decided to call up Ryder and complain about the rental truck.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
So, when manager Dave Roberts was asked in Detroit whether the Dodgers would consider setting up a left-field platoon with the team’s September call-ups, he said yes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
The South African seamer has since worked as a coach in the Sussex academy and been re-signed on a short-term contract to cover injuries and England call-ups.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
By late August, it was obvious Freeman would be among the Braves’ call-ups when rosters expanded on Sept. 1.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Rooney has spoken previously about some of Tuchel's call-ups for his World Cup squad and his "shock" at Harry Maguire's omission.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
Fulham are another team who I usually fancy to win at home, but they have been depleted by Afcon call-ups.
From BBC ● Dec. 18, 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.
