to call in
193
3.0
- phrasal verb
- /kɔl ɪn/
- As the ROTC building smoldered, Kent Mayor Satrom called in the Ohio National Guard.
- call in the experts
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Watch on YouTubeAnd this morning, the police were called in to start arresting people.
- And this morning, the police were called in to start arresting people.
- Well, they called in a, a body double to do that.
- And then they called us in the office and said the judge had died.
- And his dad said to me, Tina, we've been told to call a pastor in he's he's going to die.
- SU suing with one another, clocking their tongues, calling in voices of pure sugar.
Examples
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If you like, we can call in another specialist and get a second opinion and see what they have to say.
-
And this morning, the police were called in to start arresting people.
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I'll find him, I promise, Even if I have to call in the whole Justice League.
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School districts often call in experts from outside the school
Academic text (2015) -
Law enforcement authorities should be called in when violent incidents occur.
Academic text (2000) -
But please convey the family's thanks to all who called in to help.
Fiction book (1995) -
A toll-free number was established, and participants called in to the number at the specified time.
Academic text (2005) -
Jim Tobleson said they called in a hostage negotiator.
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Anxious to demonstrate Ireland's loyalty and ensure Home Rule is enacted when the war ends, John Redmond calls in the Irish Volunteers to enlist also.
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The company decided to call in a consultant to help improve their marketing strategy.
Synonyms
∞
2.0
To ask people to say if they are present
692
2.9
Introduce a new person or thing into a group
200
5.3
Officially call someone to come, often to court
187
3.5
To ask someone to take action or give information, often in a meeting
Antonyms
How Direct
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to pay a short visit' is directly built from 'call' (a visit/make a visit) + 'in' (toward/inside), following a common English verb+particle compositional pattern. This relation is cross-linguistically common and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings will very likely infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Call in comes from the image of a boss asking someone to call in to the office or room to help, like bringing an expert in to solve a problem. That's why it means 'to ask or summon someone to come in or help'.