CALL OFF Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

call off

verb

Definition of call off

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 The wide receiver and his fiancée appear to have called off their engagement after over a year. — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026 Tennessee called off Carruthers' execution after a doctor failed to insert a backup intravenous line for about two hours, prompting Lee to grant Carruthers a one-year reprieve. — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2026 Walter put a take-it-or-leave-it bid on the table so high — hundreds of millions above where the other bidders had been in the process — that former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt called off the auction and congratulated Walter. — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026 The longtime couple called off their engagement almost two years ago, according to Leigh Ann Caldwell, chief Washington correspondent at Puck. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for call off

Recent Examples of Synonyms for call off

Verb

Investigators say a tire was placed in the road in a plot to distract and kill Jared Bridegan, 33, in Jacksonville Beach in 2022.

— CBS News, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Kiser’s husband, Brady Kiser, said he had been briefly distracted while watching Trigg while his wife was away.

— Shayna Jacobs, NBC news, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of distract

Verb

Town leaders canceled their contract with Flock Safety, saying a legal review found the agreement violated state law.

— Tammy Mutasa, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
The franchise was canceled after a 2006 Texas operation in which Rockwall County assistant district attorney Louis Conradt died by suicide as authorities and the show’s crew closed in on his home.

— Clayton Davis, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of cancel

Verb

All this scattershot world-building and world-visiting allows for some colorfully diverting vignettes, in which production designer Alexandra Walker and costume designer Ann Maskrey get to show off their giddy, gaudy wares.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 Aug. 2026
Looming concerns at the Panama Canal and uncertainty surrounding the Middle East could divert an additional 5 percent of volumes to the Port of Los Angeles in the near future, according to the port’s chief.

— Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of divert

Verb

The Cowboys and Saints were fined $500,000 apiece for scrapping at their joint practice this week.

— Chris Branch, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
The film initially touched on the 1993 allegations against the singer, but a binding legal clause in the $20 million settlement with one accuser forced producers to scrap the third act, rewrite the script, reshoot, and end the first film in 1987.

— Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of scrap

Verb

In response to these findings, the Twin Rivers Unified School District voted in January to revoke the school’s charter.

— Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Following the display, Budnik's official recognition was revoked and organizers sought the return of his physical gold medal, according to reports.

— Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of revoke

Verb

Business as usual will have to wait a day for SpaceX, which aborted the first attempt Thursday with what would be the company’s 75th Starlink launch of the year as the orbiting constellation of satellites continues to grow.

— Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026
NordSpace had planned to launch its own Taiga rocket from the Atlantic Spaceport Launch Complex in August 2025, but the test was aborted due to mechanical issues.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 20 Aug. 2026