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
It was called off on Wednesday with just over 40 minutes remaining on the countdown clock, because of an issue with one of the ground systems at the launch pad.
—
Denise Chow, NBC News, 14 Mar. 2025
Seven years after her split from Eric Dane, actress Rebecca Gayheart is calling off their divorce.
—Meredith Nardino, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2025
Other shows being called off due to the impending weather event include Brad Cox, Courteneers, Alexisonfire and Underoath.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2025
Dozens of people were rescued from the incident in the North Sea, but one crew member is presumed dead after a search was called off.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for call off
Denise Chow, NBC News, 14 Mar. 2025
Seven years after her split from Eric Dane, actress Rebecca Gayheart is calling off their divorce.
—Meredith Nardino, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2025
Other shows being called off due to the impending weather event include Brad Cox, Courteneers, Alexisonfire and Underoath.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2025
Dozens of people were rescued from the incident in the North Sea, but one crew member is presumed dead after a search was called off.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for call off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for call off
Verb
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Just this week, Chinese auto giant BYD made headlines around the world by topping Tesla in launching time-saving EV battery charger technology, while Tesla CEO Elon Musk was distracted with his high-profile political role in Washington.—
Russell Flannery,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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The mom's reassurances do very little to distract him...—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Also canceled: one study looking at reducing maternal mortality in New York and another on treatments for long COVID, The New York Times reports.—
Erica Pandey,
Axios,
21 Mar. 2025
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Related article British Airways hit by delays and disruption after ‘technical issue’ Air France canceled eight flights to and from Heathrow, but the flag carrier of France says routes to other UK airports are operating normally.—
Tamara Hardingham-Gill,
CNN,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In 1959, Prince Edward County, Virginia, closed its public schools for five years, diverting tax monies to build a K-12 private academy for 1,400 white students and allotting their families tuition grants.—
Essence,
Essence,
22 Mar. 2025
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Between January 2013 and May 2018, fraudsters manipulated direct deposit information to divert $33.5 million in benefits from 20,878 recipients, according to audits by the SSA's Office of the Inspector General.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Iran later abandoned provisions of the JCPOA and forged ahead with its nuclear program.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2025
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The administration’s decision to abandon plans to move D.C.’s elite fighter jet squadron to Maryland comes months after the state’s congressional delegation and Gov. Wes Moore (D) worked to secure the planes to prevent the state from losing its flying mission.—
Meagan Flynn,
Baltimore Sun,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
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On a hilltop in the center, some soldiers made last stands until they were slaughtered, others threw off their uniforms and tried to hide in civilian homes or U.N. bases.—
Emmet Livingstone,
The Dial,
20 Mar. 2025
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Lawn mowers, chainsaws, and even dragging trailer chains can throw off sparks.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The city held a meeting to hear residents’ concerns, but the follow-up meeting — meant to address those concerns — was scheduled for the day after the plan was scrapped.—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
20 Mar. 2025
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Replays were scrapped altogether from the first round onwards this season.—
Jessy Parker Humphreys,
The Athletic,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Batched denials issued in silence In 2023, Afghan SIV applicants began to see their COM applications denied or their former COM approvals revoked in swathes.—
Beth Bailey,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
21 Mar. 2025
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Ranjani Srinivasan, the architect and Fulbright scholar at Columbia who also taught at Barnard College, left the country last week after the US Consulate in India informed her in early March her student visa had been revoked.—
Andy Rose,
CNN,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Although Hague is completing his second spaceflight, the astronaut has actually launched three times: A rocket mishap in 2018 forced him and a Russian crewmate to abort their mission shortly after liftoff.—
NBC News,
NBC News,
19 Mar. 2025
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The probe comes amid a series of safety incidents and a week after an American Airlines flight arriving at Ronald Reagan airport in Arlington, Virginia, was forced to abort a landing in an effort to avoid another aircraft.—
Louis Casiano,
Fox News,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Call off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/call%20off. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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