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 Hoodoo tradition presumes a belief in a supernatural or spirit world that can be called upon for assistance, often through charms and incantations. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026

Simpson remembers what that feeling was like; being called upon second. — Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 14 Aug. 2026

Samson Johnson came next, who proved capable whenever called upon and is now in the G League. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026

And he might be called upon to carry a significant role as a rookie given the season-ending knee injury to Ricky Pearsall while Jauan Jennings left in free agency for the Minnesota Vikings. — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 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