call off

verb

called off; calling off; calls off
Synonyms of call offnext

transitive verb

1
: to draw away : divert
2
: cancel

Synonyms of call off

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Examples of call off in a Sentence

she was about to tell me the big news when her attention was called off by the arrival of another guest called off the party after half of those invited couldn't make it
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In the same letter, Griffith threatened to call off the wedding unless he was made sole owner. — Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 14 Oct. 2026 In another snippet of internal dispatcher audio, an operator can be heard calling off the emergency response. — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026 When plans were made for a visit to Japan by President Eisenhower in 1960—it was eventually called off—there weren’t enough policemen to guard his route into Tokyo, so the yakuza were mobilized to help. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 Related Though local law enforcement swept Tulsa’s BOK Center and its surroundings and determined the threat was not credible on Friday, the show was still called off. — Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 11 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for call off

Word History

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of call off was in 1606

Rhymes for call off

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Browse Nearby Words

callo-
call off
call office
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Cite this Entry

“Call off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/call%20off. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

call off

verb
1
: to draw away : divert
call off a dog
2
: cancel sense 2a
call off a meeting
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