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

Relevance

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 But the Coast Guard also found three bodies, and the search for 10 people who remained missing was eventually called off. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026 As the deadline approached, Claude responded by threatening to blackmail Johnson, revealing the affair to his wife and coworkers unless the replacement was called off. — Kevin Roose, Vanity Fair, 7 Oct. 2026 But Bulgaria failed to find any survivors from the Alfa Watan’s 10-person crew after the vessel sank and eventually called off search operations after only coming across life rafts and parts of the ship, according to AFP and Reuters. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 6 Oct. 2026 After more than an hour, the governor called off the execution and gave Carruthers a one-year reprieve. — Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for call off

Recent Examples of Synonyms for call off

Verb

Know when to ask for another ball and try your best not to be distracted by a nice rack.

— Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
The compelling series achieves a provocative dissection of it all with rare confidence without the overindulgence of distracting CGI tossed in for sheer spectacle.

— Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of distract

Verb

Classes, activities and athletic events across Bend-La Pine Schools are canceled tomorrow, the district announced.

— Phil Helsel, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
Ossoff last year also pressed Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin for canceling public health and environmental grants.

— Maydeen Merino, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of cancel

Verb

The transfers have allowed the Senate GOP group to support Paxton without diverting resources away from Republicans in other competitive races across the country.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
Cargo on ships that have diverted away from the Hormuz is backing up at the region’s alternative gateways.

— Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of divert

Verb

Executives from ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP and TotalEnergies abandoned the event, the FT reported, due to the potential danger.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026
In Peru, the world’s largest catcher of anchovies, the fishing industry collapsed after the tiny baitfish abandoned the country’s waters for cooler northern climes.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of abandon

Verb

So why did Netflix, which is still throwing off a good chunk of change, this week lay off around 1,000 employees — its biggest cutback to date?

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
But the categories that grew most year over year weren’t those that throw off cash.

— Molly A. Wallace, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of throw off

Verb

This week, however, international timekeepers voted to scrap them and introduce the leap hour, the first of which might not happen for thousands of years.

— Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Gartner expects more than 40% of agentic AI projects, which are projects built on AI that acts on its own rather than waiting for instructions, to be scrapped by the end of 2027, citing escalating costs and unclear business value among the reasons.

— Ciaran Cosgrave, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of scrap

Verb

As in the West and Kelley cases, agreements may also specify when the surrogate could be asked to abort or, if pregnant with multiple fetuses, selectively terminate.

— Naomi Cahn, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
Dozens of passengers and crew on the flight that aborted after the man jumped the airport’s perimeter fence in May are suing the airport, the city and two related companies for negligence and wrongful death.

— Katie Langford, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2026