as in repeal
the act of putting an end to something planned or previously agreed to
the calling off of the senior prom is not going to go over well
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in distracting
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in canceling
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 calling off
Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
The university cited budget cuts as the reason for calling off this year's dinner for the first time in its almost 60-year history, according to a letter posted by the Black Student Union.
—Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 16 Jan. 2026
Coffman said that shows officers and their supervisors are judiciously calling off pursuits that become too dangerous.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 27 Oct. 2025
Years after calling off their first engagement, Affleck and Lopez reconnected then married in 2022.
—Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
But lately, more buyers are calling off their deals to look for better ones.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
In it, Belly (Lola Tung) is headed to Paris after calling off her wedding to Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), unsure what the future holds for her.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
They were engaged for nearly a year before calling off their wedding less than one month before the date.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
The news that Glass was calling off his appearance also caught off guard the National Symphony Orchestra.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
The university cited budget cuts as the reason for calling off this year's dinner for the first time in its almost 60-year history, according to a letter posted by the Black Student Union.
—Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 16 Jan. 2026
Coffman said that shows officers and their supervisors are judiciously calling off pursuits that become too dangerous.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 27 Oct. 2025
Years after calling off their first engagement, Affleck and Lopez reconnected then married in 2022.
—Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
But lately, more buyers are calling off their deals to look for better ones.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
In it, Belly (Lola Tung) is headed to Paris after calling off her wedding to Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), unsure what the future holds for her.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
They were engaged for nearly a year before calling off their wedding less than one month before the date.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calling off
Noun
-
This repeal moves us in the opposite direction from what the public wants.—
Fran Silverman,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The trash and parking fee repeals might be uniquely attractive to a broad swath of San Diegans in a way that may not translate to competitive bidding changes or even pension reform.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Also, higher oil prices mean more income for Russia, and the war in Iran is distracting the world from Putin’s war in Ukraine.—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Additional creature comforts also can be nice but distracting.—
Metro Creative Services,
Boston Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Airplane cabins aren’t exactly known for being quiet, which is where Tozo’s noise-canceling earbuds come in handy.—
Francesca Krempa,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Mar. 2026
-
In addition to the loss of manpower, VOA cut its broadcast infrastructure, canceling contracts with satellite providers last year to broadcast into Middle Eastern countries, according to VOA employees.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
On February 14th, Anthropic was told that a failure to accept the government’s demands might result in contract cancellation.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
-
While cancellation options are available in advance of the first, second and third financial quarters—broadly speaking, advertisers may back out of between 25% and 50% of their upfront allocations for each of those periods—the ontological status of fall buys is a lot less equivocal.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That pesky point-of-attack defense is diverting drivers from the basket.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Saudi Arabia is diverting tankers to its southern Red Sea coast, while Oman’s key export terminal was evacuated over safety concerns, disrupting exports, and two tankers were hit in Iraqi waters.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
More than a dozen other signs reference a former redlight district, the Civil War, and a presidential party abandoning a leaky ship and swimming to shore.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Agents exchanged unverified data, and discussed abandoning English in favor of a machine-native language.—
Victoria Bousis,
Rolling Stone,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Bonner Springs Animal Control announced that an individual was charged with animal abandonment in a Facebook post Wednesday.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The complete abandonment of Americans in the Middle East while other countries are efficiently evacuating theirs raises serious competency concerns about our post-DOGE government.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Miler, currently dealing with lower back tightness, is scheduled to throw a side session on Wednesday after being limited to throwing off flat ground.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Morgan started throwing off the mound a bit after transferring to Hope International University and continued to dabble in pitching in the West Coast summer league in Portland, Ore.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Calling off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calling%20off. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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