1
as in to distract
to draw the attention or mind to something else
she was about to tell me the big news when her attention was called off by the arrival of another guest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to cancel
to put an end to (something planned or previously agreed to)
called off the party after half of those invited couldn't make it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of call off
But the reports did little to spell out whether the economy is falling toward a recession, as many investors had been fearing, or shaking off the uncertainty after Trump called off many of his tariffs temporarily.
—
Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
Panic also spread during an evening cricket match in northern Dharamsala city, where a crowd of more than 10,000 people had to be evacuated from the stadium and the game called off, according to an Associated Press photographer covering the event.
—Rajesh Roy, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2025
Last August, the singer-songwriter abruptly called off all her remaining shows for the year, including festival appearances and dates opening for Olivia Rodrigo and Coldplay.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 7 May 2025
The last time Smith was about to be executed was in 2022, when the execution was called off just an hour before it was scheduled.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for call off
Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
Panic also spread during an evening cricket match in northern Dharamsala city, where a crowd of more than 10,000 people had to be evacuated from the stadium and the game called off, according to an Associated Press photographer covering the event.
—Rajesh Roy, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2025
Last August, the singer-songwriter abruptly called off all her remaining shows for the year, including festival appearances and dates opening for Olivia Rodrigo and Coldplay.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 7 May 2025
The last time Smith was about to be executed was in 2022, when the execution was called off just an hour before it was scheduled.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for call off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for call off
Verb
-
Sending in the National Guard was an obvious military flex, designed to to bait Angelenos while perhaps distracting Americans from Trump’s far greater troubles.—
Mary McNamara,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
-
The upshot is, an ADAS, such as Tesla FSD and robotaxi, does not get distracted and is laser-focused on the road.—
Brooke Crothers,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
Verb
-
Musk has faced fierce backlash over his drastic cuts to the government's budget, including canceling thousands of federal jobs, and the dismantling of entire agencies.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 May 2025
-
The news came just days after the Trump administration canceled funding for Moderna to develop a vaccine against potential pandemic flu viruses, including the H5N1 bird flu, despite promising early study results.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 May 2025
Verb
-
However, some flights from Catania have been diverted to Palermo, according to Flight Radar Data.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
2 June 2025
-
All southbound Interstate 5 traffic was diverted off the freeway onto Camino de la Plaza, creating a detour on San Ysidro streets, Caltrans said on the social media platform X shortly before noon.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2025
Verb
-
The number of remote job postings has declined, but this shift shouldn’t be seen as a signal to abandon what many knowledge workers value most.—
Duane Tursi,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
-
Based on the true story of Annie Silva Pais, daughter of Portugal’s secret police chief, who abandoned her life in 1965 to join the Cuban Revolution.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
8 June 2025
Verb
-
The 38-year-old threw off the bullpen mound at Dodger Stadium on Monday, his first session since landing on the injured list.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
-
In a person infected with COVID, the balance is thrown off and the production of those molecules is disrupted, which research shows can lead to blood clots or other blood disorders.—
Jackie Fortiér,
NPR,
30 May 2025
Verb
-
To save costs, modifications recommended for the Electra after the Hawaii crash—stronger radios, better direction-finding gear, upgrades to the emergency equipment—were scaled back or scrapped.—
Laurie Gwen Shapiro,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
-
That drop was scrapped, but the Air Force 1 Low is now slated to release in the fall.—
Ian Servantes for Footwear News,
Robb Report,
1 June 2025
Verb
-
The stage is now set for the NFLPA’s Committee on Agent Regulation and Discipline (CARD) to suspend France, or perhaps revoke his agent certification entirely.—
Chris Deubert,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
-
Earlier this month, Jackson was the only justice whose name appeared on the court’s momentous decision that allowed the Trump administration to revoke deportation and work protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
30 May 2025
Verb
-
That was a day later than originally planned; SpaceX attempted to launch the mission on Monday night (May 19), but that try was aborted just before liftoff, for reasons that the company did not immediately explain.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
21 May 2025
-
The outage went unnoticed by the FAA until May 5, 2025, when two commercial flights had to abort landings due to an Army helicopter's approach to the Pentagon, highlighting the communication breakdown.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Call off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/call%20off. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share