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
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of call off
During Tuesday’s episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, the host and her pals Valerie Bertinelli and Ross Mathews reacted to a PEOPLE report about a woman who called off her wedding after discovering that her fiancé had secretly purchased a house with his mom.
—
Emlyn Travis, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2025
After the woman was rescued, a Fort Worth Fire Department dive team continued searching the river for the infant or other possible victims, but no one else had been found when the car was pulled out of the water and the search was called off late Saturday night, police said.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Mar. 2025
The remaining three, including two children, are still missing — but authorities have officially called off the search.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025
Although he was sidelined from the hit series, the suspension was later called off.
—Jay Stahl, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for call off
Emlyn Travis, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2025
After the woman was rescued, a Fort Worth Fire Department dive team continued searching the river for the infant or other possible victims, but no one else had been found when the car was pulled out of the water and the search was called off late Saturday night, police said.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Mar. 2025
The remaining three, including two children, are still missing — but authorities have officially called off the search.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025
Although he was sidelined from the hit series, the suspension was later called off.
—Jay Stahl, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for call off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for call off
Verb
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Too often, however, the temptation to blame individuals or groups for housing ills distracts from the actual debate and prevents all stakeholders from discovering their mutual interests.—
Matt Frazier,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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The scientists now plan on developing the technology further, which will include boosting its ability to filter out distracting background noises such as those produced by body movements.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Trump skipped three times during his last presidency (the 2020 affair was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic).—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
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Organizers and the Kennedy Center have canceled a week’s worth of events celebrating LGBTQ+ rights for this summer’s World Pride festival in Washington amid a shift in priorities and the ousting of leadership at one of the nation’s premier cultural institutions.—
Ashraf Khalil,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The fourth plane, Flight 93, was diverted and crashed in Pennsylvania.—
Arick Wierson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
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Passengers aboard a United Airlines flight were temporarily diverted from their destination after an incident with a rabbit affected the aircraft’s engine.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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At this point, what started as a throwaway joke has grown into something vaguely earnest — too big to fail and too enmeshed in the neighborhood to be abandoned in good conscience.—
Nate Rogers,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
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Biden’s Justice Department ultimately abandoned the gambit and left Trump to head to trial, where a jury ordered him to pay $83.3 million.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The delayed engagement is also throwing off some of the couple's other big life plans.—
Erin Clack,
People.com,
24 Apr. 2025
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After having started an AOL chat message friendship with President George W. Bush, Rumi is kidnapped from his home and thrown off a plane into Iraq, with the president himself directing the child to help the U.S. military track down and kill Osama Bin Laden.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In January, the company scrapped a rights issue of shares, opting to borrow 450 billion won from Ryu to reduce its debt burden, which had ballooned to 1.5 times equity.—
Gloria Haraito,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Pfizer scrapped a different once-daily obesity pill back in June 2023 after patients who took that drug had higher liver enzyme levels in a mid-stage trial.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Expunging those records, which international students rely on to remain in the U.S. legally, is different from revoking visas.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
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The media changes celebrated by Trump has raised concerns among some in the industry who fear that access to reporting the truth will become increasingly difficult as credentials are revoked and outlets too favorable of the president may not provide full coverage.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In January, several people were injured after a Delta flight aborted its takeoff at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, forcing about 200 passengers to evacuate the plane through emergency slides.—
Stephen Smith,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2025
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Despite the mishap, Blue Origin officials have insisted that the capsule is designed to safely abort a spaceflight by ejecting from the rocket and deploying parachutes early if needed – as happened in 2022.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
12 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Call off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/call%20off. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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