From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcall on/upon somebody/something phrasal verb1 ASK FOR something/ASK somebody TO DO somethingto formally ask someone to do somethingcall on somebody to do something The UN has called on both sides to observe the ceasefire.2 VISITto visit someone for a short time Why don’t you call on my sister when you’re in Brighton? → call→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
call on/upon • These workers had an important base of experience and would call on each other informally when they needed help.• Traditionally management has called upon labor to cooperate in increasing productivity and improving the quality of the product.• They were calling on the Government to replace millions of pounds, plundered by Maxwell from pension funds.• Mobutu also called on the Parliament to quickly choose a new prime minister.• I called on you earlier but there was no reply and I could see the place was in darkness.call on somebody to do something• He called on Ministers to come clean over secret proposals to cut the unemployment benefit period from a year to six months.• The fung shui expert would call on the spirits to favor our venture.• Environmental Health officer Richard Hallows admitted yesterday they are facing a problem and called on the public to help them.• We are going to call on the Sandinistas to make changes together.• Greenpeace has called on the government to minimize the risk by banning all ozone-damaging chemicals with immediate effect.• The McNamara Bill calls on Parliament to outlaw foxhunting.• In a statement issued on March 19 Hekmatyar called on Najibullah to resign immediately.• Western countries have been called on to support the democratically elected government.From Longman Business Dictionarycall on/upon somebody phrasal verb [transitive]1to formally ask someone to do somethingShe called on local employers to commit themselves to equal opportunities.2to visit someone for a short timeSmall booksellers often don’t have time to see all the reps who call on them. → call→ See Verb table 