1
as in distracts
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
2
as in cancels
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
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Recent Examples of calls off
The president calls off plans to send the National Guard to San Francisco.
—
Christian Orozco, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2025
Christian Orozco, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calls off
Verb
-
Morgan concluded the practice, completing another one of Chesney’s specialties where the entire team distracts the return man from fielding a punt.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
That is when Harbaugh will be able to crystallize for players like Cam Skattebo that football is the priority, and any outside nonsense that distracts from the goal of winning games is not going to be tolerated anymore.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Rain cancels the event, which is open to ages 8 and older.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The budget cancels more than $15 billion from the Biden-era bipartisan infrastructure law, including funds for renewable energy projects and cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grants.—
LISA MASCARO,
Arkansas Online,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Critics say the program diverts funds from public schools.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The system diverts stormwater into a giant tank and then, at Fourteenth Street, pumps it out at up to three hundred and fifty million gallons a day, sending it on to the Newtown Creek wastewater facility.—
Eric Klinenberg,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But what happens when a poet abandons this essential tool?—
Patrick Dundon,
JSTOR Daily,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The group quickly abandons the car, leaving the infant alone with at least one of the car doors open for an hour.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Blue Light Isn’t Actually the Main Problem The popular explanation — that blue light suppresses melatonin and throws off your circadian clock — is real but incomplete.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
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What’s meant to feel relaxed and inviting often throws off the proportions and limits how the space can actually function.—
Angelika Pokovba,
Martha Stewart,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But then Belly scraps her Parisian plans and pledges her young life to Jeremiah, a rising super senior at Finch majoring in getting high and going to Cabo (which, quite honestly, is more age-appropriate than a wedding).—
Vogue,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
If the expansion detracts somehow from the SARA cult fever, the co-owners are OK with that.—
Senior Wine Critic,
San Francisco Chronicle,
15 June 2017
Verb
-
Jamie requests an audience with the families and revokes their letters of banishment.—
Lincee Ray,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Apr. 2026
-
If a court revokes citizenship on those grounds, the person could become subject to removal proceedings.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Calls off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calls%20off. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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