From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcall in phrasal verb1 ASK FOR something/ASK somebody TO DO something call somebody/something ↔ in to ask someone to come and help you with a difficult situation The government then called in troops to deal with the disturbances.2 TELEPHONEto telephone somewhere, especially the place where you work, to tell them where you are, what you are doing etc Rachael called in sick (=telephoned to say she was too ill to come to work).3 to telephone a radio or television show to give your opinion or to ask a question Over 2,000 viewers called in with complaints about the bad language used in the programme.4 call in a loan/debtASK FOR something/ASK somebody TO DO somethingLEND to officially tell someone to pay back money you lent them The bank can call in the loan at any time.5 British EnglishVISIT to visit a person or place while you are on your way to somewhere else on/at Could you call in on Mum on your way home? → call→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
call in• Eventually the teenager's behaviour got so bad that the police had to be called in.• When she threatened to sue, we had to call our own lawyer in.• They called in a private investigator to help them find their son.• I called in on Sally yesterday.• Why don't you call in on your way up north?called in sick• He was upset enough because it was the first day of his swimwear sale and Astrid had called in sick.• The search revealed that Mr Pulla had used his credit card at restaurants and bars on days he called in sick.• Rachaela had called in sick and sat at her window and watched it, her back packed with cushions and pillows.• Despondent, Richard called in sick at work for two weeks.• Leslie called in sick today.call in a loan/debt• No banks to call in loans.• As the banks were squeezed, they called in loans and forced bankruptcy on their clients.• The college takes 500 pupils from across the world and decided to call in debt collectors as a last resort.• As we have seen, if banks are short of cash they can call in loans from the discount houses.call on/at• Christine, the Imp Sixer, would sometimes call in on her way home from school and get tea for her.• I want to call in at one of those hotels to check something.• He was called in at short notice due to the unfortunate motor accident involving Design Director, Bill Naysmith.• He could call in at the Informer office in Chancery Lane and use the telephone to arrange a suitably stimulating lunch.• She suggested calling in on the local correspondent to see what his views were.• She had called in at the office once since she left and had been greeted with pleasure.• To find out more call in at your local Strachan showroom or return the coupon below.call-inˈcall-in noun [countable] American EnglishAMT a radio or television programme in which people telephone to give their opinions SYN phone-in British English a call-in talk showExamples from the Corpus
call-in• Even if the two counties agree, this should be a matter for a call-in.• In place of personal discussion and deliberation, we have call-ins, talk shows, faxes, and on-line computer bulletin boards.call-in ... show• In place of personal discussion and deliberation, we have call-ins, talk shows, faxes, and on-line computer bulletin boards.• Mr DeBartolo told a radio call-in show recently.• The grating broadcasts sometimes switched to tapes of radio call-in shows and other background sounds of an electronic civilization.From Longman Business Dictionarycall in phrasal verb1[transitive] call somebody → in to ask for someone in authority to come and deal with a situationThe company called in a team of experts to help it sort out its problems.The hotel had been experiencing financial difficulties, and the receivers were called in.2[transitive] call something → inFINANCE to ask for money that you have lent to be repaidThe company continued to trade at a loss and the bank decided to call in its loan.3[intransitive] to telephone somewhere, especially the place where you work, to tell them what you are doing or where you areDuring the break I called in to the office.I wasn’t feeling very well, so I called in sick (=telephoned to say I was too ill to come to work). → call→ See Verb table 