as in canceling
to put an end to (something planned or previously agreed to)
their film deal had been abruptly cried off, and now the filmmakers were back to square one
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Recent Examples of crying off
People were crying off-camera a lot.
—
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crying off
Verb
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Trump posted about canceling the strikes soon after the meeting, the officials said.—
Sarah Dean,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
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As 404 Media reports, Northern District of Mississippi judge Sharion Aycock berated everybody involved in a sanctions order, ultimately fining them, canceling the trial, and barring half of them from appearing in the district’s court for two years.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The move suggests a broader shift in Tehran, where a new generation of leaders is increasingly abandoning the cautious, reactive approach that long defined the Islamic Republic’s strategy towards its adversaries.—
Abbas Al Lawati,
CNN Money,
10 June 2026
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These networks are viewed with less enthusiasm in the age of streaming, because more consumers are abandoning their cable subscriptions in favor of streaming services.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
10 June 2026
Verb
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But Blanche announced this week that the administration was scrapping the plan.—
Hanna Rosin,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
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Bilardo, meanwhile, made a significant tactical switch, scrapping his 4-3-1-2 and instead using a 3-5-2 formation to provide a spare man against England’s strike duo, with Maradona playing off Jorge Valdano rather than behind two strikers.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Verb
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The investigation is focused on the Philadelphia Police Department's policies and practices for issuing and revoking gun permits, and the standards used to cancel permits to carry firearms, DOJ said in a news release.—
Joe Brandt,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
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The inquiry, announced Tuesday by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, will examine the department’s policies and practices for issuing and revoking licenses to carry firearms, as well as its enforcement of Pennsylvania’s Uniform Firearms Act.—
Rena Rowe,
The Washington Examiner,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Apollo 13 zoomed around the Moon after famously aborting its lunar landing mission.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
7 Apr. 2026
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Just before Sunday’s collision, controllers were dealing with another plane that had declared an emergency after aborting a takeoff and smelling an odor on the plane.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And yet, Mamdani found time to talk about the Knicks’ playoff run, including repealing bedtime so children could watch the NBA Finals.—
David Ingber,
New York Daily News,
8 June 2026
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Horn said in a news release on Monday that plans to create a new ban showed that repealing the original version was unnecessary.—
Dylan Lysen
June 2,
Kansas City Star,
2 June 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Crying off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crying%20off. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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