call up
2 meanings
phone someone
What does "call up" mean in this sense?
Examples
- I'll call you up as soon as I land at the airport.
- She called her mum up to share the good news.
- Why don't you call up the restaurant and make a reservation?
How to use it
The most common pattern, especially with short noun objects — the object goes between 'call' and 'up'.
I'll call a friend up and see if she wants to meet for lunch.
When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'call' and 'up' — it cannot follow 'up'.
He called her up to let her know about the change of plan.
With longer or more complex noun objects, the object usually follows 'up' without splitting.
She decided to call up the customer service team to ask about her order.
Use a to-infinitive after the object to explain the reason for the call.
He called his parents up to tell them he'd got the job.
Use 'about' to mention the topic of the phone call.
Can you call the office up about the meeting time?
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
When the object is a pronoun like 'him', 'her', or 'them', it must go between 'call' and 'up', never after 'up'.
'Call back' means to return a phone call someone already made to you, while 'call up' means to telephone someone, usually as an initial contact. They are not always interchangeable.
'I'm calling you up' sounds slightly unnatural for this phrasal verb. In most situations, it's more natural to say 'I'm calling you' or to use a different tense such as 'I'll call you up'.
Usage
'Call up' meaning to telephone is more common in American English; British speakers tend to say 'ring (someone) up' or simply 'call someone'. In everyday modern English, many speakers just say 'call' without 'up' at all.
order someone to join the army
Sense 2: What does "call sb up" mean?
Examples
- Thousands of young men were called up during the Second World War.
- The government threatened to call up reservists if the conflict escalated.
- My grandfather was called up at the age of nineteen and sent to the front.
How to use it
The passive is the most natural and frequent construction, putting the focus on the person ordered into service rather than the institution giving the order.
Thousands of young men were called up when war broke out.
When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'call' and 'up' — it cannot come after 'up'.
The army called them up within days of the government's announcement.
When the object is a short noun phrase rather than a pronoun, it can follow 'up' without separating the phrasal verb.
The government announced plans to call up reservists if the situation worsened.
A prepositional phrase often follows the passive form to indicate the purpose or context of the conscription.
He was called up for military service on his eighteenth birthday.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
'Call up' specifically implies that someone is officially ordered into the military — they have no choice. If someone joins voluntarily, use 'sign up' instead.
In American English, 'call up' most commonly means to phone someone, so using it in a military context can cause confusion for American readers or listeners. In American English, 'draft' is the standard term for compulsory military service.
The present continuous sounds unnatural with this phrasal verb in the military sense. Use the simple present for general statements or the simple future for crisis scenarios instead.
Usage
This phrasal verb is much more common in British English; American English uses 'draft' for the same idea. It is most often seen in the passive voice in historical or journalistic writing about wars and military service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'call up' more American or British English?
'Call up' to mean telephone is more typical of American English. British speakers more often say 'ring someone up' or simply 'call someone'. If you use 'call up' in a British context, people will understand you, but it may sound slightly American to them.
Can 'call up' be used in the passive?
It is grammatically possible, but it's quite rare for this telephone sense and can sound a little old-fashioned. It's much more natural to use 'call up' in active sentences. Be aware that a passive form like 'he was called up' is more commonly associated with the military meaning of 'call up', not the telephone meaning.
Does 'call up' have other meanings?
Yes, 'call up' can also mean to summon someone for military service, or to retrieve information on a computer screen. However, context makes the meaning clear — if the object is a person you're contacting by phone, it means to telephone them.
What's the difference between 'call up' and just 'call'?
In most situations, they mean the same thing and you can use either. 'Call up' can feel slightly more deliberate or personal — for example, 'I'll call you up sometime' sounds a little warmer or more intentional. In everyday modern English, many speakers simply say 'call'.
What kinds of objects can follow 'call up'?
The object should always be a person, a group of people, or an organisation — for example, a friend, your family, or the office. If you use a data or file as the object (like 'call up a record'), that signals a completely different meaning related to computers, not phone calls.
Is 'call up' used in British or American English?
It is predominantly British English in this military sense. American English strongly prefers 'draft' to describe compulsory military service. If you are writing for an American audience, 'draft' will sound more natural.
Can 'call up' refer to someone who chooses to join the army?
No — 'call up' always implies compulsion. The person is ordered to serve by an official authority and has no real choice. If someone joins the military voluntarily, the right phrasal verb is 'sign up'.
Does 'call up' have other meanings I should know about?
Yes, 'call up' has other meanings, most notably 'to phone someone' in American English and 'to retrieve something on a screen' in a computing context. Context usually makes the meaning clear, but be aware that in British English, the military sense is very strongly associated with this phrasal verb.
What is a 'call-up'? Is it related?
Yes — 'call-up' (written with a hyphen) is the noun form, commonly used in British English. 'Call-up papers' are the official documents ordering someone to report for military service. You might also see phrases like 'receive a call-up' or 'a national service call-up'.
What subjects can I use with 'call up' in the active voice?
The subject is always an official authority — typically a government, the army, the navy, or a military institution. You would not use an individual person as the subject in this sense. Because the passive is so common, active constructions like 'The government called up reservists' appear less frequently than 'Reservists were called up'.
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