call on
verb
called on; calling on; calls on
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
Spoelstra was called for his first technical foul of the season for arguing a non-call on a Powell drive to the basket in the second quarter, and there was a quick exchange of heated words between Spoelstra and Adebayo when Spoelstra subbed out Adebayo in the second quarter.
—
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
Patino spoke during the protest to articulate what his first-hand experience in an ICE detention center felt like and call on the community to stop the expansion of immigration detention.
—Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
After a large fight broke out between a group of juveniles over the weekend, businesses are calling on officials to keep Market Square safe.
—Mamie Bah, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
The song calls on our nation to live up to its ideals.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2026
The public defender organization called on Mayor Mamdani, the city’s district attorneys and all authorities involved in the criminal justice system to meaningfully address the deaths of New Yorkers under arrest.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
Speaking at the site of an Iranian missile attack in the southern city of Arad on Sunday, Netanyahu called on world leaders to join the war efforts, including the European nations.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2026
Pahlavi’s team began putting out various plans to further erode the regime’s authority, calling on workers to strike and releasing a QR code through which defectors in the state security forces could sign on to his project, which Pahlavi claimed had elicited fifty thousand responses.
—Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Speaking on Sunday, Netanyahu called on the leaders of other countries to join the war.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
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.
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
Patino spoke during the protest to articulate what his first-hand experience in an ICE detention center felt like and call on the community to stop the expansion of immigration detention.
—Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
After a large fight broke out between a group of juveniles over the weekend, businesses are calling on officials to keep Market Square safe.
—Mamie Bah, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
The song calls on our nation to live up to its ideals.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2026
The public defender organization called on Mayor Mamdani, the city’s district attorneys and all authorities involved in the criminal justice system to meaningfully address the deaths of New Yorkers under arrest.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
Speaking at the site of an Iranian missile attack in the southern city of Arad on Sunday, Netanyahu called on world leaders to join the war efforts, including the European nations.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2026
Pahlavi’s team began putting out various plans to further erode the regime’s authority, calling on workers to strike and releasing a QR code through which defectors in the state security forces could sign on to his project, which Pahlavi claimed had elicited fifty thousand responses.
—Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Speaking on Sunday, Netanyahu called on the leaders of other countries to join the war.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Call on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/call%20on. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
