an order to report for active military service.
the number of persons drafted during a specific period of time.
The November call-up was set at 15,000.
a call or urging to service.
to summon to report for active military service, as in time of war
(tr) to recall (something); evoke
his words called up old memories
(tr) to bring or summon (people, etc) into action
to call up reinforcements
to telephone
Summon to military service, as in He was called up for active duty . [Late 1600s]
Cause to remember, bring to mind, as in These stories call up old times . [c. 1700] Also see call to mind .
Telephone someone, as in I'll call up the theater and find out about tickets . [Late 1800s]
Retrieve data from a computer memory, as in I asked him to call up the last quarter's sales figures . [Second half of 1900s]
First recorded in 1625–35; noun use of verb phrase call up
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His last call-up was for October’s World Cup qualifier with Comoros, in which he played the final 16 minutes off the bench.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
Caluori was catapulted into the spotlight after scoring five tries against Sale on his full Saracens debut in October, earning an immediate call-up to Borthwick's autumn squad and an appearance for England 'A' in November.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
But before that and as the only uncapped player in the top 10 of the IPL run-scoring list this year, some are already wondering whether an international call-up could come as soon as this summer.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
Kelly: Talk to me about Thomas Tuchel - when you got that first call-up.
From BBC • May 2, 2026
The military exercised its largest call-up since the war.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
