call-up

1 of 2

noun

Synonyms of call-upnext
1
: an order to report for military service
2
: a baseball player brought up to a major league team from the minor leagues

call up

2 of 2

verb

called up; calling up; calls up

transitive verb

1
: to summon together (as for a united effort)
call up all his forces for the attack
2
: to bring to mind : evoke
3
: to summon before an authority
4
a
: to summon for active military duty
b
: to bring up from a minor league to a major league baseball team
5
: to bring forward for consideration or action
6
: to retrieve from the memory of a computer especially for display and user interaction

Examples of call-up 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.
Noun
Ella Morris Regularly touted as a future England stalwart by Spurs’ staff, her first senior England call-up last May was blighted by an ACL injury on the first day of camp. Megan Feringa, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026 Utah, which trotted out its own seven-man group containing four G League call-ups, won the matchup of unrecognizable lineups, 147-101. Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
Grace Fisk Has yet to be capped by England but was called up for the March qualifiers against Iceland and Ukraine. Megan Feringa, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026 Boston could then roll with an outfield alignment of Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu, and with Yoshida no longer taking up a bench spot the club could either call up or acquire a right-handed hitting bench outfielder, which the Red Sox currently lack. Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for call-up

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1916, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1523, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of call-up was in 1523

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Call-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/call-up. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

call-up

noun
ˈkȯ-ˌləp
: an order to report for military service

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