call on

1. Make a request, ask for, choose, as in We are calling upon you to run for chairman , or The teacher called on Joe to answer . [c. 1400]

2. Pay a brief visit, as in The salesman said he'd call on me in the morning . Shakespeare had this usage in Antony and Cleopatra (1:4): “I'll call upon you ere you go to bed.” [Late 1500s]

Idioms and Phrases

Also, call upon .

Example Sentences

Here in Baku, the texts “reaffirmed” the call on nations to give up coal, oil and gas, but doesn’t use the word “transition.”

From BBC

She called on the government to "condemn and challenge" the court's decision, describing it as "concerning and provocative".

From BBC

Later that same year, the Supreme Court overturned its own precedent that had called on courts to defer to an agency's interpretation of ambiguous laws.

From Salon

Helmuth, a former member of Science’s news staff, deleted the posts and apologized, but she faced growing calls on social media for her resignation.

From Science Magazine

The commission called on the Ingram-Moores, who have already been disqualified from being charity trustees, to make a "suitable donation" to the charity in response.

From BBC

Related Words

• ban
• contradict
• oppose
• rebuff
• refuse
• refute
• reject
• revoke
• turn down
• withhold