Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for call-up. Search instead for c-l-u-.
Jump to:
  • call-up
    call-up
    noun
    an order to report for active military service.
  • call up
    call up
    verb
    to summon to report for active military service, as in time of war
Synonyms

call-up

American  
[kawl-uhp] / ˈkɔlˌʌp /

noun

  1. an order to report for active military service.

  2. the number of persons drafted during a specific period of time.

    The November call-up was set at 15,000.

  3. a call or urging to service.

call up British  

verb

  1. to summon to report for active military service, as in time of war

  2. (tr) to recall (something); evoke

    his words called up old memories

  3. (tr) to bring or summon (people, etc) into action

    to call up reinforcements

  4. to telephone

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

    1. a general order to report for military service

    2. the number of men so summoned

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
call up Idioms  

  1. Summon to military service, as in He was called up for active duty . [Late 1600s]

  2. Cause to remember, bring to mind, as in These stories call up old times . [c. 1700] Also see call to mind .

  3. Telephone someone, as in I'll call up the theater and find out about tickets . [Late 1800s]

  4. Retrieve data from a computer memory, as in I asked him to call up the last quarter's sales figures . [Second half of 1900s]

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.

It was the first time since Thomas Tuchel's appointment that Mainoo had earned an international call-up, and his first appearance in an England shirt since September 2024.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

The remaining two months of the season carry increased significance for international players as they aim for a call-up to this summer's World Cup.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

In a short video posted on Everton's X account, Garner said he was "really happy" about his first senior call-up.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

Calvert-Lewin deserves huge credit for his persistence - but his call-up also underscores a huge concern for England and Tuchel.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 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.