CALLING OFF Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

calling off 1 of 2

noun

as in repeal

the act of putting an end to something planned or previously agreed to the calling off of the senior prom is not going to go over well

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calling off

2 of 2

verb

present participle of call off

as in distracting

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

as in canceling

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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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 calling off

Verb

Citing unnamed sources, the Post reported that the shortfall of key weapons contributed to Trump calling off major strikes on Iran and making another push for diplomacy. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 7 Aug. 2026 After previously calling off an engagement, BelléJolie Force is a singer who is searching for her Prince Charming. — Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026 The officers pursued the vehicle, a Volkswagen Jetta, for roughly a minute before calling off the chase because of the suspect’s speed and erratic driving, police said. — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 7 July 2026 In her interviews, Kardashian recalls her experience which included taking care of him after his overdose and even calling off their divorce proceedings amid his recovery. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2026 The recent release of video from the incident led to ABC calling off Paul’s season of The Bachelorette right before it was set to premiere. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2026 In a statement, DHS told WJZ that nearly 500 TSA officers have quit during the shutdown, and thousands more are calling off work. — Tara Lynch, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026 An increasing number of TSA officers have been calling off work, leading to staffing shortages inside airport security and lengthy screening lines at some airports. — Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026 Yet calling off the face-to-face visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping could have its own major economic consequences as relations between the world's two biggest economies remain fraught over tariffs and other issues. — Arkansas Online, 17 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for calling off

Noun

Karl Heinrich Ulrichs pleaded for the repeal of antigay laws before 500 members of the Congress of German Jurists.

— USA Today, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
On election day, Golden State voters overwhelmingly backed the repeal.

— Paxton Honerkamp, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of repeal

Verb

Noise-canceling earbuds Noise-canceling earbuds allow high schoolers to immerse themselves in remote learning.

— BestReviews, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026
Not even the largest studio can force moviegoers into paying to see only their movies and not even Netflix can prevent someone from canceling their streaming subscription and signing up for another service.

— Rick Ellis, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of canceling

Noun

For now, this fuzzy discontent has led to a relatively soft populism, peddled by candidates who are promising universal health care and the cancellation of debt, for instance.

— Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2026
California Farm Bureau denounced the pesticide’s cancellation.

— Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of cancellation

Verb

Beginning Thursday, the Fort Worth Fire Department has been diverting ambulances carrying patients with trauma, strokes and STEMI heart attacks to other hospitals, according to Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV.

— Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Aug. 2026
Most of the townships were diverting those funds to the road district.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of diverting

Verb

The company is abandoning the $799 price point, with the Pixel 11 expected to start at $899 for 256GB storage, legitimizing a wider industry shift to higher base storage and prices.

— Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Bondele was among hundreds of Ebola response workers in Bunia who staged strikes and protests over unpaid wages in recent weeks, at times abandoning health facilities and disrupting parts of the response as the outbreak continued to spread.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of abandoning

Noun

The process of becoming Malay, however, also implies the abandonment of their niche and their skill in magic.

— H.M.A. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 7 Aug. 2026
Ramona’s retaliation in her argument with Oona was that the latter was channeling her mother’s abandonment issues into their relationship.

— Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of abandonment

Verb

And climate shifts are yet another threat to milkweed’s viability in particular locales, throwing off the distances and timing that are so crucial to each butterfly’s travels.

— Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026
But the storm, which increased to category 3 in strength on Sunday, is throwing off energy that will generate surf in Southern California.

— Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 July 2026