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
-
(tr) to recall (something); evoke
his words called up old memories
-
(tr) to bring or summon (people, etc) into action
to call up reinforcements
-
to telephone
noun
call up
Idioms
-
Summon to military service, as in He was called up for active duty . [Late 1600s]
-
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]
-
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.
However, that plan had to be scrapped when the 27-year-old received a late call-up to Carlo Ancelotti's World Cup squad.
From BBC • Jul. 10, 2026
But he was already on the team when his father took over from Bruce Arena, who gave Michael his first call-up.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2026
He’s been a frequent short-term call-up and taxi squad member since.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2026
Spanish-born Alvaro Fidalgo's decision in February to represent Mexico rather than wait for a Spanish call-up, which would be unlikely to come, may mean that Mora has to begin the tournament on the bench.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 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
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.
