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
There was no foul called on the play resulting in Jackson’s injury.
—
Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 18 May 2026
Hundreds of people, from families of Annunciation victims to Moms Demand Action, called on the House of Representatives to vote on a sweeping gun reform bill that already passed the Senate.
—Adam Duxter, CBS News, 17 May 2026
Raskin called on Congress to stop the fund from moving forward.
—Quinn Scanlan, ABC News, 17 May 2026
Martin said that canceling the event sends the wrong message and called on Mayor Rex Richardson and City Council members to take urgent action and let the festival go on.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2026
The Iraqi government, meanwhile, called on both sides to leave the country out of the conflict.
—Arkansas Online, 16 May 2026
Ruffalo called on Hollywood agencies to stop setting agendas for their clients.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 16 May 2026
The next night, the Dodgers took the club’s (and all of MLB’s) best hitter over the past two seasons out of the batting lineup and called on him to pitch.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
Isaiah calls on the Alvarez cartel for a favor to kill Coltrane as Ebony’s criminal sister Charlie (Sophina Brown) changes Detective Harper’s target from Noah to Coltrane.
—Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026
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Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 18 May 2026
Hundreds of people, from families of Annunciation victims to Moms Demand Action, called on the House of Representatives to vote on a sweeping gun reform bill that already passed the Senate.
—Adam Duxter, CBS News, 17 May 2026
Raskin called on Congress to stop the fund from moving forward.
—Quinn Scanlan, ABC News, 17 May 2026
Martin said that canceling the event sends the wrong message and called on Mayor Rex Richardson and City Council members to take urgent action and let the festival go on.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2026
The Iraqi government, meanwhile, called on both sides to leave the country out of the conflict.
—Arkansas Online, 16 May 2026
Ruffalo called on Hollywood agencies to stop setting agendas for their clients.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 16 May 2026
The next night, the Dodgers took the club’s (and all of MLB’s) best hitter over the past two seasons out of the batting lineup and called on him to pitch.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
Isaiah calls on the Alvarez cartel for a favor to kill Coltrane as Ebony’s criminal sister Charlie (Sophina Brown) changes Detective Harper’s target from Noah to Coltrane.
—Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Call on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/call%20on. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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