call on somebody

Question

I came across the following sentences in a textbook:

Ashley backs me up when I need her. She'll be there for me if I call on her.

I looked it up on Macmillan Dictionary:

call on or call upon (call on someone/something to do something)

to officially ask a person or organization to do something

The human rights group has called on the US to end the death penalty.

(call on someone)

to visit someone, usually for a short time

We could call on my parents if we have time.

I'm a bit confused. Is the phrasal verb 'call on' used correctly in the above-mentioned sentence?

Answer 1

Yes, it is a correct usage of the first definition you quoted. The request doesn’t need to be as “official” as they indicate, though, just explicit.