call-up
noun
an order to report for active military service.
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
-
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 .
-
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:
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
Langton was a late call-up to Team England in the place of the injured six-time Olympic medallist Max Whitlock.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
When she and I were sitting in our bedroom, Margot told me that the call-up was not for Father, but for her.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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
Tuchel also explained why he decided to call up Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah in place of the injured Tino Livramento, who had to pull out of the squad with a calf issue.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
“When you de-emphasize that, then you just call up your friends as you were doing before,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
“Couldn't you just call up your old bosses and tell them what happened? I mean, this is kind of a big breakthrough, right? I bet they’d be pretty excited.”
From "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm
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
Owori also featured for Uganda's national team during the 2021 Africa Cup of nations qualifying campaign and was regarded as a strong contender for future call-ups to the Cranes.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
And some have suggested that Sheinbaum’s save-the-day call-ups of her media-savvy security chief are more performative than substantive, and probably counterproductive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 29, 2025
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
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.
