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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to cancel
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of call off
But the reports did little to spell out whether the economy is falling toward a recession, as many investors had been fearing, or shaking off the uncertainty after Trump called off many of his tariffs temporarily.
—
Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
Panic also spread during an evening cricket match in northern Dharamsala city, where a crowd of more than 10,000 people had to be evacuated from the stadium and the game called off, according to an Associated Press photographer covering the event.
—Rajesh Roy, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2025
Last August, the singer-songwriter abruptly called off all her remaining shows for the year, including festival appearances and dates opening for Olivia Rodrigo and Coldplay.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 7 May 2025
The last time Smith was about to be executed was in 2022, when the execution was called off just an hour before it was scheduled.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for call off
Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
Panic also spread during an evening cricket match in northern Dharamsala city, where a crowd of more than 10,000 people had to be evacuated from the stadium and the game called off, according to an Associated Press photographer covering the event.
—Rajesh Roy, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2025
Last August, the singer-songwriter abruptly called off all her remaining shows for the year, including festival appearances and dates opening for Olivia Rodrigo and Coldplay.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 7 May 2025
The last time Smith was about to be executed was in 2022, when the execution was called off just an hour before it was scheduled.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for call off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for call off
Verb
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Sending in the National Guard was an obvious military flex, designed to to bait Angelenos while perhaps distracting Americans from Trump’s far greater troubles.—
Mary McNamara,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
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The upshot is, an ADAS, such as Tesla FSD and robotaxi, does not get distracted and is laser-focused on the road.—
Brooke Crothers,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
Verb
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Schools were closed and major events, including the Tel Aviv Pride Parade, were canceled.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
13 June 2025
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Russia initially built for Egypt before Cairo canceled the contract would be delivered to Tehran instead.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Verb
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However, some flights from Catania have been diverted to Palermo, according to Flight Radar Data.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
2 June 2025
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All southbound Interstate 5 traffic was diverted off the freeway onto Camino de la Plaza, creating a detour on San Ysidro streets, Caltrans said on the social media platform X shortly before noon.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2025
Verb
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The number of remote job postings has declined, but this shift shouldn’t be seen as a signal to abandon what many knowledge workers value most.—
Duane Tursi,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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So Ogle, who had nothing to hang on to but that car, and sadly separated from her only daughter who lives in Utah, saw her car stolen but recovered and abandoned the next day in front of an apartment building.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
8 June 2025
Verb
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To complicate matters, during times of high uncertainty, the implementation of policy can be thrown off course.—
London Business School,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
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And yet, Warner depends on the cash CNN’s flagship linear network throws off to fund its business, even if there will be less of it in months to come.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
11 June 2025
Verb
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The Cinderella fourth seed kept scrapping runs together, forcing the Bruins to use six pitchers.—
Brady Oltmans,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2025
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While that ruling is on hold pending appeal from the Trump administration, the developments signaled to retailers that the tariffs could be scrapped altogether, the survey results show.—
Gabrielle Fonrouge,
CNBC,
12 June 2025
Verb
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According to state law, permits are immediately revoked if a restaurant receives a score of less than 70%.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
13 June 2025
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Why is the Antiquities Act controversial? U.S. states and Congress have previously argued to revoke or restrict the limits of the president's powers under the Antiquities Act, saying it was intended to be narrow in scope.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
13 June 2025
Verb
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That was a day later than originally planned; SpaceX attempted to launch the mission on Monday night (May 19), but that try was aborted just before liftoff, for reasons that the company did not immediately explain.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
21 May 2025
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The outage went unnoticed by the FAA until May 5, 2025, when two commercial flights had to abort landings due to an Army helicopter's approach to the Pentagon, highlighting the communication breakdown.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Call off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/call%20off. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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