call-up
noun
an order to report for active military service.
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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.
See Examples For:
None of them is a full-time MLB umpire but rather a minor-league call-up tapped only when needed, yet they are faring better with ABS than their more established peers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
He has also seen Palmer return positive and hungry after missing out on an England call-up.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 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
That came in the spring of 2025, about 11 months after his dad had been sacked as coach, when Pochettino, the new manager, gave the younger Berhalter his first national team call-up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Because of Margot’s call-up notice, the plan had to be moved up ten days, which meant we’d have to make do with less orderly rooms.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
“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
It says plenty that, instead of calling up a bowler immediately once the latter went down, they waited until mid-tournament to call up Smith, a batter.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
The president repeated his earlier remarks when speaking to reporters Monday: “I did call up President Putin and he’s agreed…They have the same cold wave that we do.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026
That foundational constitutional authority in turn supports Title 10 USC 12406, which allows a president to call up the militia — but only under specific, statutorily defined circumstances.
From Salon ● Nov. 17, 2025
“What I’m going to do is call up George Fitt and get him to straighten you out.”
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
As well as Pattinson and Denton, there have been call-ups for Tottenham's Ella Morris and Manchester City's Naomi Layzell before they sustained lengthy injuries.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
Fulham are another team who I usually fancy to win at home, but they have been depleted by Afcon call-ups.
From BBC ● Dec. 18, 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
They have been resigned to playing the long game, trying to weather key injuries and extended absences with a revolving door of minor-league call-ups.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 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.
