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 vehicle had just driven out of Wayne County into Monroe County when Flat Rock called off its pursuit.
—
Paula Wethington, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
After more than three weeks without finding the bear responsible for the attack, officials called off the search.
—Emily Wanderer, Washington Post, 8 Jan. 2026
After more than three weeks without finding the bear responsible for the attack, officials called off the search.
—Emily Wanderer, The Conversation, 7 Jan. 2026
Horse races and soccer matches have been called off because of snow and frost, a power failure caused by ice closed Glasgow’s subway, and Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport was closed for a time on Monday.
—Mike Corder, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for call off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for call off
Verb
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The goal was to ensure the makeup didn’t distract the audience but rather felt invisible.—
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Even the most emotionally invested of us can get distracted.—
Verb
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That band faces a similar situation as Mariachi Joya Azteca, with at least two major events canceled in 2025.—
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The Anker 737 Power Bank keeps multiple devices running and charging, from your phone to your noise-canceling headphones, without weighing down your bag.—
Verb
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There are a number of ways to divert excess water away from flower beds, like trenching, extending gutters, or installing a rain barrel.—
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The complaint asserts that Minneapolis and Saint Paul have been forced to divert officers from their usual duties to respond to incidents involving federal immigration enforcement, undermining local efforts to protect the community.—
Verb
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The Miami Hurricanes are at home, while the entire state of Indiana – save for some in West Lafayette – is content to abandon their homes to enjoy this unexpectedly stupefying playoff march.—
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Season One concludes with the Texas Tech geology graduate abandoning a well crew after tragedy strikes, only to achieve rapid success in his personal and work endeavors.—
Verb
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Most of the intrigue occurs in watching these varied human behaviors in a crisis and how quickly things shift and change when Sam’s plan is thrown off course or law enforcement intervenes in unexpected ways.—
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The timing on the final play was thrown off when Love dropped the snap.—
Verb
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Production designer Kyle Absalom reveals that the first iteration of the new design was fully scrapped after completion.—
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The Rams scrapped back and forth with the feisty Panthers, who in turn were spurred onward by stellar play by third-year quarterback Bryce Young and a playoff crowd that had starved for seven years between postseason appearances.—
Verb
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While multiple sources familiar with the holiday events deny online rumors that Mar-a-Lago threatened to revoke the memberships of guests who took photos of Barron over the holidays, insiders tell PEOPLE that there's an unspoken rule about how to treat the most private member of the first family.—
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Colbert was sentenced to 25 years in prison in Orleans Parish in May, after a judge revoked her probation in a similar but unrelated case.—
Verb
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Her behavior led to the pilots aborting takeoff.—
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The Dating Game, directed by Violet Du Feng, shows us the struggle of young men to find spouses in a country where males outnumber females by a large margin (a result of China’s one-child policy, which saw many female offspring aborted or abandoned in favor of male children).—
Cite this Entry
“Call off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/call%20off. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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