call on

verb

called on; calling on; calls on

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

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called on Flock Safety to delete the personal data of people without a criminal record and to answer questions about the use of that data in a letter to Flock CEO Garrett Langley on Sunday. — Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2026

Carlson called on Fox News Media Chief Executive Suzanne Scott to fire Heinrich in a text that came to light three years later when Dominion Voting System filed its defamation suit against the network. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Miller earned his first yellow card for arguing a foul called on midfielder Philip Mayaka. — Idaho Statesman, 4 Oct. 2026

Khan also called on Congress to step in and legislate the growing industry. — Isabel Danzis, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for call on

• anton
• argon
• axon
• baronne
• baryon
• baton
• boron
• buisson
• bygone
• capon
• cardon
• chiffon