call on

Verb

call on (third-person singular simple present calls on, present participle calling on, simple past and past participle called on)

1. (idiomatic, transitive) To visit (a person); to pay a call to.
   • I really should call on my aunt more often.
   • Valerie, call on me / Call on me, Valerie / Come and see me / I'm the same boy I used to be1982, Steve Winwood, “Valerie”, in Talking Back to the Night

   Synonyms:

   pay a visit, visit, wait on

2. (idiomatic, transitive) To select (a student in a classroom, etc.) to provide an answer.
   • He sat there, baffled, hoping nobody would call on him.
   • “Mr. Rayney, Mr. Rayney,” the reporters clamored, and hands shot up. ¶ Charlotte called on the reporter from the L.A. Times, promising herself that she would lead with the OC Register reporter next time.2007, Barbara Seranella, Deadman's Switch, Thomas Dunne Books, →ISBN, pages 33–4
3. (idiomatic, transitive) To request or ask something of (a person); to select for a task.
   • The king called on his subjects to take up arms and defend the kingdom.
   • The alma mater had again called on her sons in her hour of need and again they had responded.1909 October 14, Edward Kimball Hall, speech, in The Inauguration of Ernest Fox Nichols, D.Sc., LL.D., as president of Dartmouth College, The Rumford Press, page 88

   Synonyms:

   call upon

4. (idiomatic, transitive) To have recourse to.
   • Exhausted, he called on his last ounce of strength.
   • The young adventurer set out on the new planet alone, thankful that she could still call on her captain for advice in case of emergency.

   Synonyms:

   call upon, summon up

5. (ditransitive, idiomatic, transitive) To correct; to point out an error or untruth.
   • The salesman persisted in quoting a rate higher than was listed, until we called him on it.

   Synonyms:

   correct, call out