call up
/kɔːl ʌp/
Meaning
In casual everyday English, 'call up' simply means to make a telephone call to someone. It is highly conversational and friendly.
Examples
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I think I will call up my sister tonight to see how her exams went.
I think I will call up my sister tonight to see how her exams went.
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Feel free to call me up if you ever want to grab a coffee.
Feel free to call me up if you ever want to grab a coffee.
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He called up the restaurant to make a reservation for Friday night.
He called up the restaurant to make a reservation for Friday night.
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She called up her old school friend after they lost touch for five years.
She called up her old school friend after they lost touch for five years.
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Don't forget to call up your grandmother on her birthday tomorrow.
Don't forget to call up your grandmother on her birthday tomorrow.
Common Mistakes
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✗ I will call up to him tomorrow.
✓ I will call him up tomorrow.
'Call up' is a transitive phrasal verb. Do not use 'to' before the person you are phoning.
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✗ She called up me yesterday.
✓ She called me up yesterday.
When the object of a separable phrasal verb is a pronoun (like 'me', 'him', 'her'), the pronoun must go between the verb and the particle.
Related Expressions
Practice
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Why don't you ___ your brother and invite him to dinner?
💡 phone him
Show answer
call up
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I'll ___ the hotel to double-check our booking details.
💡 make a phone call to
Show answer
call up