call on
Idioms-
Also, call upon.
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Make a request, ask for, choose, as in We are calling upon you to run for chairman , or The teacher called on Joe to answer . [c. 1400]
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Pay a brief visit, as in The salesman said he'd call on me in the morning . Shakespeare had this usage in Antony and Cleopatra (1:4): “I'll call upon you ere you go to bed.” [Late 1500s]
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.
With the truck loaded and as he was preparing to pull out, Harbaugh got a call on his cell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
The vote proved too close to call on Tuesday evening, but by Wednesday morning, El-Sayed had claimed the win, and Stevens had phoned him to concede.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
Credit Agricole Chief Executive Olivier Gavalda said during an earnings call on Friday that it was difficult to see how a combination between Monte dei Paschi and BPM could create value for BPM shareholders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
A British Airways flight issued a "mayday" distress call on its approach to Heathrow Airport earlier this month, according to a statement from France's accident investigation authority.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
The first call on the list was the one I was most worried about.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
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.
