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

“Somebody made the calls on my phone. I don’t know who, a lot of people were there. Sometimes I forget and leave my phone. And somebody’s messed about with the phone.”

From BBC

He also called on the chief constable of Essex Police to apologise to Pearson or risk bringing the force into disrepute.

From BBC

According to government sources, the chancellor condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine and called on Moscow to negotiate with Kyiv to come to a “fair and lasting peace”.

From BBC

He called on policymakers to focus on addressing chronic disease with prevention and reforming America's complicated health system to make medicine more affordable.

From BBC

As part of Roberts’ plan to rebel against the uni-party, he called on the incoming administration to fully embrace and enlarge the military-industrial complex.

From Salon

Related Words

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