Synonyms of call on

call on

phrase

variants or call upon

1

as in rely

to place reliance or trust

She's the one I call on when I need a friend.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rely
• count
• depend
• stand on
• look to
• bank on
• figure on
• lean
• trust
• reckon
• calculate
• commit
• confide
• entrust

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• question
• suspect
• distrust
• mistrust

2

as in ask

to make a request of

She called on me for a ride to the airport.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ask
• request
• invite
• hit (up)
• appeal (to)
• plead (to)
• petition
• pray
• beg
• invoke
• require
• solicit
• implore
• demand
• beseech
• entreat
• conjure
• supplicate
• importune
• enjoin
• exact
• press

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• require
• force
• compel
• coerce
• constrain
• oblige

3

as in petition

to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner

They called on a specialist after other avenues had failed.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• petition
• beg
• appeal (to)
• plead (to)
• ask
• pray
• implore
• impetrate
• beseech
• entreat
• conjure
• require
• request
• supplicate
• importune
• solicit
• besiege
• invoke
• desire
• sponge
• force
• compel
• bludge
• demand
• claim
• coerce
• insist
• cadge
• mooch
• command

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• suggest
• imply
• hint
• intimate
• please
• satisfy
• content
• comfort
• appease
• placate
• gratify
• quiet
• pacify
• console
• mollify
• oblige
• conciliate

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of call on

The list is compiled by the Criminal Investigative Division and the Office of Public Affairs at FBI Headquarters, which calls upon all 56 field offices to submit candidates, according to the FBI history. — Josh Meyer, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026

The eight-term lawmaker plans to call upon Larry Hogan, the former two-term centrist Republican governor who left office in 2023 with high bipartisan approval ratings, to get more involved. — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026

Arteta could then call upon Guimaraes, Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi. — Thom Harris, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

The actor announced his memoir in August 2025, and called upon fans to submit their stories and memories of how his work has impacted them. — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026

Created by bartender Bradleigh Mobley at Bayonet in Birmingham (one of our Best New Restaurants of 2026), the drink calls upon the nostalgia of Nerds candy to create a zippy yet balanced drink that’s undeniably entertaining. — Bradleigh Mobley, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Aug. 2026

Mullin and Chu are also leading a coalition of 37 lawmakers across the country in calling upon NARA for more information about why the agency is shutting the facilities. — Stephanie Lam, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026

When one student is called upon, all students repeat their peer’s name and turn their heads toward them. — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2026

Agnatic primogeniture, directly inherited from the Salic Law, stipulates that in the event of death or abdication, the sovereign’s closest male relative is called upon to ascend the throne. — Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 20 Aug. 2026