CALLED OFF Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

called off

verb

past tense of call off

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

as in canceled

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 Trump has also called off plans to renew attacks on Iran before. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 22 Oct. 2026 The Coast Guard rescued 49 passengers, but called off its search after three days with 10 people still missing. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026 Hours later, the Coast Guard shared that the search had been called off. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 14 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 Previous attempts to retrieve bodies at such high altitudes have been called off because of the risk of death to the rescuers. — Helen Regan, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026 As the deadline approached, Claude responded by threatening to blackmail Johnson, revealing the affair to his wife and coworkers unless the replacement was called off. — Kevin Roose, Vanity Fair, 7 Oct. 2026 And in 2024, Idaho called off the execution of 73-year-old Thomas Creech after trying to find a vein for nearly an hour. — Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for called off

Verb

Take accountability for the times you yourself have been distracted (for whatever reason) and haven’t met the other’s needs.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
Know when to ask for another ball and try your best not to be distracted by a nice rack.

— Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of distracted

Verb

The $10 million, part of a settlement offered by a company that overcharged Medicaid, was diverted into other hands, starting with the Hope Florida Foundation, the favorite charity of First Lady Casey DeSantis.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Seventy-one percent of the water diverted from the lake’s basin is allocated to agriculture.

— Silvia Console Battilana, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of diverted

Verb

Chinese leaders have never abandoned the goal of reunification, and no one should dismiss the possibility of force.

— Ningrong Liu, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Haines' husband said her left leg was amputated on Monday and her right leg was amputated on Wednesday after doctors abandoned hope of saving it.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of abandoned

Verb

In another depressing week for the UK’s public broadcaster, there were more cuts, talk of even more cuts and programs scrapped, as the BBC’s desperate bid to make the books work continues under former Google EMEA chief Matt Brittin.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026
Mercedes-Benz got state-level approval for turquoise lights on its Level 3 Drive Pilot cars — even though the automaker has since scrapped the idea in favor of a Level 2++ system.

— Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of scrapped

Verb

Linn County prosecutors declined to press charges, but the church revoked Moore’s ability to work with children, youth and vulnerable adults.

— Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026
Early American corporate charters, after all, were granted for limited public purposes and could be revoked when abused.

— Christopher Marquis, Time, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of revoked

Verb

Anthem, the studio’s attempt at a live-service open-world shooter, turned out more ambitious than engaging for most and was recently shuttered for good well after plans for a sweeping overhaul were aborted.

— Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026
Eight people were on board when the pilot aborted the takeoff and went off the runway, causing the plane to skid into the fence.

— Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of aborted

Verb

The Greenwich Sentinel reported that at a recent forum, Democrat Jill Oberlander, candidate for the town’s 36th Senate District seat, said that the law should be amended or repealed, and stressed her support for community zoning authority.

— Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
It was deemed Biden’s signature climate law, providing hundreds of billions of dollars for tax credits and programs to bolster the clean energy sector (much of that funding was repealed by the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act).

— Maydeen Merino, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026