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Synonyms

call it a day

Idioms  

  1. Stop a particular activity for the rest of the day, as in It's past five o'clock so let's call it a day. Similarly, call it a night means “to stop something for the rest of the night,” as in One more hand of bridge and then let's call it a night. The original phrase was call it half a day, first recorded in 1838, which referred to leaving one's place of employment before the work day was over. The first recorded use of call it a day was in 1919, and of call it a night in 1938. Also see call it quits.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Djokovic isn’t ready to call it a day just yet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 2026

He had around half a dozen places to hit before he would call it a day.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2025

"I'm going to continue," he said, swiftly putting to bed any suggestion he might call it a day.

From BBC • Sep. 14, 2025

As he nears his 50th birthday, Jamie Cureton is not in any hurry to call it a day after a playing career spanning 22 clubs, three promotions and three relegations.

From BBC • Jul. 31, 2025

Do we just lie down on the cracked, dried mud of the lake bed and call it a day?

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.