call on — visit briefly
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutraloccasional
To visit someone for a short time, usually without much planning or for a specific reason.
Say it like a native
Textbook I intend to pay a short visit to my aunt this afternoon.
Native I thought I'd call on my aunt this afternoon.
'Call on someone' is the natural (if slightly formal) verb for a short visit; the paraphrase is stiff.
Pattern: call on + someone
In use
- I decided to call on my grandmother after work to see how she was doing.daily life
- When I travel to my hometown, I always call on my old friends to catch up, even if it's just for a short visit.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ We called on to the neighbours.
✓ We called on the neighbours.
'Call on someone' — no 'to' before the person.
Common collocations
call on someone— a friend, the neighbours, an old colleague, while passing
Don't confuse it
'Call on' here means to visit, not to ask someone to speak.
Related
- call on (ask someone to speak or act) — Another meaning of 'call on' is 'ask someone to speak or act'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.