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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in canceled
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
The pair planned to get married in 1991 before Roberts called off the wedding days before the event.
—
Stephanie Kaloi, PEOPLE, 14 Jan. 2026
Initial attempts to conduct a drone search were thwarted by the windstorm, and the ground operation was called off before nightfall, the agency said.
—Claire Wang, Oc Register, 13 Jan. 2026
The season was called off after only two days with 304 bears killed.
—Zoey Thomas, Miami Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
In October 2024, sources confirmed to People that the couple had called off their engagement.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 13 Jan. 2026
Nurses at three major Northwell Health hospitals on New York's Long Island reached a tentative contract agreement on Thursday and called off a strike, according to the NYSNA.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 11 Jan. 2026
That news in turn came just over a week after musician Chuck Redd called off an annual Christmas Eve jazz concert that has occurred at the Kennedy Center for the last 20 years.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Jan. 2026
The search for Naim was called off in the meantime, as an investigation is ongoing.
—Jack Springgate, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
The search for Naim has been called off.
—Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Stephanie Kaloi, PEOPLE, 14 Jan. 2026
Initial attempts to conduct a drone search were thwarted by the windstorm, and the ground operation was called off before nightfall, the agency said.
—Claire Wang, Oc Register, 13 Jan. 2026
The season was called off after only two days with 304 bears killed.
—Zoey Thomas, Miami Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
In October 2024, sources confirmed to People that the couple had called off their engagement.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 13 Jan. 2026
Nurses at three major Northwell Health hospitals on New York's Long Island reached a tentative contract agreement on Thursday and called off a strike, according to the NYSNA.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 11 Jan. 2026
That news in turn came just over a week after musician Chuck Redd called off an annual Christmas Eve jazz concert that has occurred at the Kennedy Center for the last 20 years.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Jan. 2026
The search for Naim was called off in the meantime, as an investigation is ongoing.
—Jack Springgate, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
The search for Naim has been called off.
—Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for called off
Verb
-
This is a president who is distracted by things that don't matter to the American people at a moment where the American people are in crisis.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Even the most emotionally invested of us can get distracted.—
Stuart Berman,
Pitchfork,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Festivals canceled The Durag Fest isn’t alone in taking a break this year.—
Heidi Finley,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Jan. 2026
-
At the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), $588 million in drug research grants were cancelled and 1,200 related personnel laid off.—
Charles LeBaron,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In an earlier social media post, the CHP office said traffic was being diverted to I-15 northbound or the I-15 southbound, and that motorists should plan alternate routes.—
Paris Barraza,
USA Today,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Chinese tourism to Japan has been diverted to South Korea, with the latter country receiving a boom in visitors from China since November.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Throughout the history of gold panning, workers had never been abandoned in remote or forgotten areas of the jungle.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The buildings were abandoned as the public school system grew more welcoming of Black students, and many of the sites have been lost, historians say.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As more ocean carriers appear to show an openness to returning to the Red Sea on a limited basis, Maersk reportedly scrapped a long-time fee last month for one of its container vessels that transited the Suez Canal.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
8 Jan. 2026
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The Blue Bag program went ahead despite being savaged by critics for years throughout its planning stages, and was not considered a success when it was scrapped more than a dozen years later for the city's current blue cart program.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
When citizenship is procured by fraud, the law requires that it be revoked.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Certification may be suspended or revoked for noncompliance or demonstrated harm to the public.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Dating Game, directed by Violet Du Feng, shows us the struggle of young men to find spouses in a country where males outnumber females by a large margin (a result of China’s one-child policy, which saw many female offspring aborted or abandoned in favor of male children).—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
29 Dec. 2025
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The leader of an international pro-life organization lauded the Nativity scene set up by the Vatican that highlighted the more than 25,000 babies who were not aborted this year thanks to the group's outreach initiatives.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The European countries that repealed their wealth taxes did so for varied reasons.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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In 2020, voters repealed the Gallagher Amendment in the state constitution, which locked in a certain ratio of residential to commercial property taxes that provided extra security for homeowners against sudden increases.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Called off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/called%20off. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.
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