call off

verb

called off; calling off; calls off

transitive verb

1

: to draw away : divert

2

: cancel

Synonyms

• abstract
• detract
• distract
• divert
• throw off

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

But after a federal judge blocked the merger over concerns that the combination of the two budget airlines would be anti-competitive, Spirit and JetBlue called off their $3.8 billion deal this past March. —Quartz Staff, Quartz, 13 Nov. 2024

Your generosity should have been acknowledged, and when the wedding was called off, your money should have been returned rather than applied to a mother/daughter vacation. —Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 5 Nov. 2024

Now, some of those same museums, once eager to be associated with Wiley, are calling off his shows. —Rachel Corbett, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2024

Texas lawmakers were expected to hear testimony at the state Capitol on Monday from Robert Roberson, a death row inmate whose execution was temporarily called off last week. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

call off

verb

1

: to draw away : divert

call off a dog

2

: cancel sense 2a

call off a meeting