1
: an order to report for military service
2
: a baseball player brought up to a major league team from the minor leagues
called up; calling up; calls up
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
Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Prior to Trump’s call-ups this year in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland, Oregon, the last time the National Guard was put under federal control for an operation within American borders was during the Los Angeles riots in 1992 – and it was coordinated with state officials at the time.
—Andy Rose 19 Hr Ago, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
The political situation had other consequences with a number of oriundi, most notably Enrique Guaita, returning to South America for fear of being called up to fight in Abyssinia.
—Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for call-up
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Noun
That skepticism was further fueled in 2025, when the Dodgers’ paltry corner outfield production — led by Conforto, with an array of different options mixing in at left field — was not enough for Ward to warrant a call-up.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Prior to Trump’s call-ups this year in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland, Oregon, the last time the National Guard was put under federal control for an operation within American borders was during the Los Angeles riots in 1992 – and it was coordinated with state officials at the time.
—Andy Rose 19 Hr Ago, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
Verb
Dennis Hildeby was called up after an up-and-down start to the season.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
The political situation had other consequences with a number of oriundi, most notably Enrique Guaita, returning to South America for fear of being called up to fight in Abyssinia.
—Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for call-up
Cite this Entry
“Call-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/call-up. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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