1
as in distracted
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cancelled
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
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 called off
After divorcing his fourth wife, Jerry Hall, in August 2022, the media tycoon announced his engagement to Ann Lesley Smith on March 20, 2023 (the pair called off their engagement just a few weeks later).
—
Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
Then in June, the project was called off.
—David Gelles, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
The Washington Post first reported that the military academy called off this month’s event, saying the cancellation would allow West Point to instead focus on preparing enrollees for their future service.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 8 Sep. 2025
The 2010 operation was supposed to last three days but got called off after the first hour yielded dozens of arrests and unleashed a furious reaction from then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat.
—Elliot Spagat, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
In January, Sting issued a statement about an unspecified illness that prompted his shows in Arizona and California to be called off.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
Over the past half-decade, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival has been called off three times, leaving behind unrealized lineups, swampy farmlands, and heartbroken fans.
—Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 3 Sep. 2025
After Belly and Jeremiah called off their wedding, Belly is on a journey to find herself without the Fisher brothers.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The news comes months after Sweeney and ex-fiancé Jonathan Davino called off their engagement.
—Gillian Telling, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
Then in June, the project was called off.
—David Gelles, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
The Washington Post first reported that the military academy called off this month’s event, saying the cancellation would allow West Point to instead focus on preparing enrollees for their future service.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 8 Sep. 2025
The 2010 operation was supposed to last three days but got called off after the first hour yielded dozens of arrests and unleashed a furious reaction from then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat.
—Elliot Spagat, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
In January, Sting issued a statement about an unspecified illness that prompted his shows in Arizona and California to be called off.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
Over the past half-decade, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival has been called off three times, leaving behind unrealized lineups, swampy farmlands, and heartbroken fans.
—Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 3 Sep. 2025
After Belly and Jeremiah called off their wedding, Belly is on a journey to find herself without the Fisher brothers.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The news comes months after Sweeney and ex-fiancé Jonathan Davino called off their engagement.
—Gillian Telling, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for called off
Verb
-
No smear campaign distracted them.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Toward the end of the first set and beginning of the second, Anisimova appeared distracted by the lights and the roof, which were closed due to heavy rain in New York.—
Adam Zagoria,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In the second case, the IMF is carried outwards by the solar wind and bumps into the magnetic field of the earth as the solar wind is diverted around it.—
Ian Dexter Palmer,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Arrivals from cities including Gran Canaria, Tokyo, and Paris were diverted to alternate airports across Poland and Europe.—
Amanda Castro
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Though Davies planned to reunite the band for a tour in 2015, it was canceled when the musician was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that attacks plasma cells.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Last year, Romania controversially canceled the turnout of a presidential election that produced a victory for a far-right independent, arguing his campaign was backed by Russian interference and disqualifying his candidacy.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Before 2014, the building was abandoned and MIA wanted to tear it down.—
Vinod Sreeharsha,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Drummond is blamed for the deaths of the parents, grandmother and uncle of an infant found abandoned in a home's front yard in rural west Tennessee.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The cruise line previously scrapped stops there until October, amid ongoing violence in the country.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
-
His interest in aging fed into the closing joke of his 2017 special Live at Madison Square Garden, and would have been the inspiration for his 2022 directorial debut film, Being Mortal, if the film had not been scrapped following harassment complaints against star Bill Murray on set.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In March, Gabbard revoked security clearances for former Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and former national security adviser Jake Sullivan, along with other Biden administration officials.—
Mike Brest,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Sep. 2025
-
He’s been convicted of speeding nine times, driving after his license was revoked twice and once each for careless driving and failing to drive with due care.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Called off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/called%20off. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share