call off

Definition of call offnext
1
as in to distract
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

Example Sentences

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 call off Those plans have since been called off, but the discourse still loomed large over the shoot. Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 23 June 2026 His remarks came as Vice President JD Vance met with Iranian officials for the first round of negotiations in Switzerland, after talks had earlier been called off. Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 22 June 2026 The Foreign Ministry later announced that the business and scientific forum Tajani was to attend in Miami had also been called off. Nicole Winfield, Fortune, 20 June 2026 The new survey was conducted June 11-17, just after Trump called off threats to escalate the war with Iran. Linley Sanders, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for call off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for call off
Verb
  • Efforts to organize and tidy often turned into sitting on the floor surrounded by piles of stuff and getting easily distracted with sentimental finds.
    Nishaa Sharma, The Spruce, 29 June 2026
  • But that was a bit ago, and there is a theory now that perhaps this is starting to leak, or maybe be confirmed soon, to distract from the recent, very poor performance of Supergirl in theaters.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • As aides at the Capitol were actively building a stage for the celebratory event, meant to communicate a big cost-of-living win to voters, the president abruptly canceled it.
    Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • The city council voting against a recommendation by its fire marshal to cancel the display.
    Chierstin Roth, CBS News, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • Now, that excess gets diverted into the Austerlitz basin instead, where it’s held deep underground until the weather clears, then pumped gradually to treatment plants outside the city.
    Camille Knight, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
  • Hotels are offering 50% discounts, schools, mosques and sports halls have been prepared to house mourners, and bus and rail networks are being diverted to serve the main events.
    Parisa Hafezi, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Verb
  • According to the American Medical Association, 78% of physicians report that prior authorization delays have led patients to abandon recommended treatment.
    Venkata Ramya Ganti, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Later that day, deputies found her van abandoned in a field near Interstate 95, but Graham had seemingly vanished without a trace.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • Counsell said the 34-year-old is progressing well and could throw off a mound soon.
    ABC News, ABC News, 24 June 2026
  • Leona spoke about her brother Vernon, three years older than her, who was thrown off a spring wagon at age nine, his body bleeding and shattered from the impact.
    Eythana Miller, The Dial, 23 June 2026
Verb
  • Plans to pitch a replica of George Washington’s Revolutionary War field headquarters tent on the lawn outside Independence Hall were scrapped because of the extreme heat.
    Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 4 July 2026
  • Four bidders scrapped over the nearly eight-foot-high work, known as the Hamilton Laocoön, with a buyer new to the old masters market prevailing.
    News Desk, Artforum, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • Experts say Leo could revoke some of the concessions that Francis granted the SSPX as part of the Holy See's response to the new consecrations.
    ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
  • While some of the funds were awarded, they were never fully executed before Congress revoked unspent money last summer in the Republican tax bill.
    Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • The launch came after multiple weather delays, as well as a software issue that aborted a Thursday launch attempt and was fixed with an update.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 3 July 2026
  • An unpiloted test flight in December 2019 failed to reach the space station, aborted its mission, and came home early.
    Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Call off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/call%20off. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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