1
as in distracted
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
2
as in cancelled
to put an end to (something planned or previously agreed to)
called off the party after half of those invited couldn't make it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of called off
Just when the 2024 Crazy Horse tour was really starting to cook, it was called off.
—
Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2025
Following Odom's overdose, Khloé called off the divorce proceedings in October 2015, only to file for a divorce for a second time in May 2016.
—Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
The rest of the event unfolded under a shifting mishmash of restrictions, always in danger of suddenly being called off in the event of a rapid outbreak of the virus.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Nearly one year later, however, sources confirmed in September 2025 that the couple had called off their engagement and had gone their separate ways.
—Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025
But the ship’s mayday alert is called off the next day when a head count reveals that nobody is missing and Lo is informed that cabin 10 was never occupied.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2025
The football team’s game last week against George Washington was called off and will not be made up.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
After the wedding was called off, Belly flew to Paris to start a new chapter in her life without the Fisher brothers.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Police called off their pursuit of Cook over safety concerns, but found his vehicle abandoned in a neighborhood less than a mile away.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 11 Sep. 2025
Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2025
Following Odom's overdose, Khloé called off the divorce proceedings in October 2015, only to file for a divorce for a second time in May 2016.
—Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
The rest of the event unfolded under a shifting mishmash of restrictions, always in danger of suddenly being called off in the event of a rapid outbreak of the virus.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Nearly one year later, however, sources confirmed in September 2025 that the couple had called off their engagement and had gone their separate ways.
—Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025
But the ship’s mayday alert is called off the next day when a head count reveals that nobody is missing and Lo is informed that cabin 10 was never occupied.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2025
The football team’s game last week against George Washington was called off and will not be made up.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
After the wedding was called off, Belly flew to Paris to start a new chapter in her life without the Fisher brothers.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Police called off their pursuit of Cook over safety concerns, but found his vehicle abandoned in a neighborhood less than a mile away.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for called off
Verb
-
But she was distracted by a nagging thought.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
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Or maybe we’re just easily distracted by tasks like building deer stands in the back yard, or looking for that missing purple egg.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Barkhimer was restrained, and the flight was diverted to Boise Airport.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
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Financial, production, and human resources have been diverted to the defense sector, causing the civilian economy to struggle with increasing demand.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Around the same time, a Black History Month project – a living wax museum in which her other daughter was planning to depict the poet Maya Angelou – was also canceled.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
12 Oct. 2025
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But our flights had been canceled amid rocket fire and regional escalation, fallout from Israel’s latest offensive in Gaza and its war with Iran.—
Reem Kassis,
The Atlantic,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Murphy also attempted to debunk the DHS claims that Chicago police abandoned federal agents after the ramming incident by showing videos of Chicago police officers on scene after Martinez was shot, and clips of officers wiping their eyes after being affected by teargas deployed by agents.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
18 Oct. 2025
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Once home to 1,000 residents and 13 saloons, Garnet was once a vibrant community before it was abandoned in the 1960s.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And yet, the agency’s human-resources office—which handled ethics issues—has been scrapped, according to Alt CDC, a team of anonymous public-health officials that has been crowdsourcing updates on the firings.—
Tom Bartlett,
The Atlantic,
13 Oct. 2025
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The main channel scrapped music videos back in 2011 and instead pushed those out to its sister channel.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Trump also revoked Bolton's security detail, which was in place because of threats from Iran.—
NPR,
NPR,
17 Oct. 2025
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The president revoked Bolton’s Secret Service detail earlier this year, even as Iranian operatives remained under an indictment for plotting to assassinate him.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Called off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/called%20off. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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