call to arms

American  

noun

1. a command to report for active military duty.

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Etymology

Origin of call to arms

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

For Abeba, the call to arms was not just a choice: it was an inheritance of duty.

From BBC

A call to arms for big sisters everywhere.

From The Wall Street Journal

Getting the call from Warchild was the prompt they needed to complete the song, with lyrics that felt like a call to arms.

From BBC

As such, the National Museum of the United States Army, just a few miles from Gen. George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, has mounted an exhibit, “Call to Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The famous phrase "the game is about glory" echoes around the magnificent Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before every game as a call to arms and the club's mission statement.

From BBC