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
The romantic comedy will follow Naomi (Fahy) and Nick (Badgley), an engaged couple who secretly can’t stand each other and engage in hilarious pranks to get the other to call off the wedding — only to rediscover their love along the way.
—
Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 2 July 2025
Other school districts in the region have called off for Friday, too, including Boone County Schools and Princeton City Schools.
—Madeline Mitchell, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
The maneuver, which has been pulled off only once, during the October demonstration, was called off in the most recent test in November, which President-elect Donald Trump attended.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
And on Wednesday, Trump praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a hero and said a long-running corruption case against him in Israel should be called off.
—Greg Myre, NPR, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for call off
Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 2 July 2025
Other school districts in the region have called off for Friday, too, including Boone County Schools and Princeton City Schools.
—Madeline Mitchell, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
The maneuver, which has been pulled off only once, during the October demonstration, was called off in the most recent test in November, which President-elect Donald Trump attended.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
And on Wednesday, Trump praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a hero and said a long-running corruption case against him in Israel should be called off.
—Greg Myre, NPR, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for call off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for call off
Verb
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This all, of course, was not to distract from the center of her makeup look: a matte red lip.—
Essence,
Essence,
14 July 2025
-
As the plant grows around it, the support becomes almost invisible and does not distract from the plant's beauty.—
Rita Pelczar,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Twenty-four flights have been canceled at DIA as of 4:30 p.m. A ground delay has been issued at DIA from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
8 July 2025
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Here’s what should happen: If an accommodation provider cancels your reservation, which is what appeared to have happen, then Booking.com should have notified you as soon as possible — not three days before your trip.—
Christopher Elliott The Travel Troubleshooter,
Sun Sentinel,
7 July 2025
Verb
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In 2023, another Delta flight diverted to Terceira due to an engine issue.—
Annabella Rosciglione,
The Washington Examiner,
10 July 2025
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The plane diverted to Logan International Airport in Boston, and Massachusetts State Police officers took Reid into custody.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
9 July 2025
Verb
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Never desert a blaze: Avoid abandoning any fire without supervision.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
1 July 2025
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Retired repos add risk: When maintainers abandon a namespace, attackers can adopt it and push trojan updates.—
Syed Ahmed,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Verb
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She was so thrown off with how forceful Selena was being; everything happened so fast.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
7 July 2025
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The House narrowly passed the bill last month, and Senate Republicans have since been working to put their mark on the legislation, treading carefully so as not to throw off the delicate balance in the lower chamber.—
Kaia Hubbard
June 29,
CBS News,
29 June 2025
Verb
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And his beef with Trump—and those who empowered him to balloon the national debt while scrapping subsidies for Musk’s EV empire—is for now at least limitless.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
7 July 2025
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By April 8, plans for John Cale to produce had been scrapped.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
7 July 2025
Verb
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The agencies are also revoking approval for two food colorings—Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B—and plan to approve four new natural colorings for food.—
Alice Park,
Time,
7 July 2025
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Reservations required: Which national parks require them in 2025 Unrelated, the executive order also revokes a presidential memorandum signed by then-President Barack Obama in 2017 that promoted a range of diversity and inclusion efforts in the management of national parks and other public lands.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
5 July 2025
Verb
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They were assigned female at birth and never want to abort a pregnancy – making fallopian tube removal a viable option to protect themself and their husband given their dissatisfaction with other birth control methods.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
10 July 2025
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Military crews aborted several attempts to launch the missile from Cape Canaveral in 2023 due to a problem with the weapon's launcher.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
26 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Call off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/call%20off. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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