call upon

phrase

1

: require, oblige

may be called upon to do several jobs

2

: to make a demand on : depend on

universities are called upon to produce trained professionals

Examples of call upon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The provision could also have put doctors in a tough spot, since they may have been called upon to help determine whether someone is able to work, which would affect their patients’ coverage. — Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026

Determined to find Michael’s fellow abductee and big sister, Felicia, once and for all, Fairhaven’s exhausted but kindly chief of police, Ellison (Bill Camp), calls upon every resource at his disposal. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2026

For the next premiere, Kardashian called upon a longtime favorite of hers—and the wider Kardashian-Jenner family—Schiaparelli. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2026

NorCal Resist called upon people to demand accountability from the city, specifically the city manager. — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for call upon

• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon
• cynodon
• denouement
• deuteron
• echelon
• epsilon