call on

call (up)on someone 

1. to visit someone. (Upon is formal and less commonly used than on.) My mother's friends call upon her every Wednesday. Let's call on Mrs. Franklin this afternoon.

2. to choose someone to respond, as in a classroom. The teacher called upon me, but I was not ready to recite. Please don't call on me. I can't remember a thing.

See also: call

call (up)on someone (to do something)

to choose someone to do something. (Upon is formal and less commonly used than on.) I call upon all of you to make your feelings known to your elected representatives. I called on George for his help, but he refused.

See also: call

call (up)on someone (to do something)

to choose someone to do something. (Upon is formal and less commonly used than on.) I call upon all of you to make your feelings known to your elected representatives. I called on George for his help, but he refused.

See also: call

call on someone

to court someone. Jim's calling on the new cook over at the Browns'. In the old days, a boy had to ask a girl's father for permission to come call on her.

See also: call

call on something

Fig. to draw on something, such as a particular quality or talent. This project calls on all the creative skills you can gather together. It calls on everything you've got.

See also: call

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call on somebody

1. to ask someone to do something The governor called on the public to use less water during this dry weather. The teacher called on me with a tough question, and I didn't know the answer.

2. to visit someone Part of my job was to go out and call on farmers, to see how they were doing.

See also: call