call off
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/ˌkɔːl ˈɒf/
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A practical phrasal verb for canceling planned things, restraining people or animals, and in rarer uses drawing attention away or reading items aloud.
Examples
The clerk called off the names from the waiting list.
Police called off the search at dusk.
Police called off the officers once the suspect surrendered.
The company called off the merger talks late Friday.
He called off the stations as the train slowed down.
Similar words
read out
halt
divert
restrain
distract
list aloud
rein in
scrap
pull away
abandon
Meanings
Examples
The league called off Saturday's match after heavy rain.
We had to call off the picnic when the park flooded.
The company called off the merger talks late Friday.
Police called off the search at dusk.
After the sponsor withdrew, organizers called off the festival.
Similar words
cancel
scrap
abandon
drop
suspend
halt
abort
Examples
The owner called off the dog before it reached the cyclist.
Security called off the guards when the alarm proved false.
The coach called off the players who were surrounding the referee.
She called off her supporters before the protest turned ugly.
Police called off the officers once the suspect surrendered.
Similar words
restrain
pull back
call away
hold back
rein in
wave off
Examples
The announcement called off his attention just as the vote began.
A sudden shout called the nurse off her paperwork.
The emergency called off several engineers from routine maintenance.
The arrival of reporters called off the manager's focus.
The urgent page called the doctor off her break.
Similar words
distract
divert
draw away
pull away
deflect
turn aside
Examples
The clerk called off the names from the waiting list.
She called off the numbers while I checked the tickets.
The teacher called off the answers from the key.
He called off the stations as the train slowed down.
The host called off the winning ticket numbers.
Similar words
read out
call out
announce
recite
read off
list aloud
Etymology
From call plus off. The summon-away sense is recorded from the early 1600s, while the canceling sense is recorded from the late 1800s.
FAQ
Call off usually means to cancel something planned, and it can also mean to order a person or animal to stop or move away.
Is call off the same as cancel?
Call off often means cancel, especially for meetings, games, searches, strikes, and plans.
Can call off be used with a dog?
Yes. Call off the dog means to order the dog to stop attacking, chasing, or threatening someone.
Where does a pronoun go with call off?
A pronoun normally goes between the verb and particle, so call it off is natural and call off it is wrong.
Can call off mean read aloud?
Yes, but it is less common. Call off the names can mean read the names aloud from a list.
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