call on

verb

called on; calling on; calls on
Synonyms of call onnext

transitive verb

1
: to call upon
Is there anyone you can call on in an emergency?
2
: to elicit a response from (someone, such as a student)
the teacher called on her first
3
US, informal : to directly criticize (someone) for (something, such as bad behavior)
She's incredibly rude, but no one ever calls her on it.

Examples of call on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The league recently told officials to stay away from holding calls on the backside of plays, but the plays that draw attention have been a concern. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026 Tehran has called on countries in the region to remove US bases and end their reliance on Washington for defense. — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026 But with the Heat in search of offense and outside shooting, Heat rookie guard Ryan Conwell was called on to play the first meaningful minutes of his NBA career. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, Zelenskyy on Sunday said Russia had launched nearly 2,300 drones targeting Ukrainian cities over the past week, renewing his call on Western allies to speed up deliveries of interceptors. — ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for call on

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of call on was in the 13th century

Rhymes for call on

See All Rhymes for call on

Browse Nearby Words

call of nature
call on
call one's bluff
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Call on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/call%20on. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on call on

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for call on

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All