call off
Britishverb
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to cancel or abandon
the game was called off because of rain
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to order (an animal or person) to desist or summon away
the man called off his dog
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to stop (something) or give the order to stop
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Summon away, restrain, as in Please call off your dog . [Early 1600s]
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Cancel some plan or undertaking, as in She decided to call off their engagement , or In case of rain the picnic will be called off . [Late 1800s]
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.
Then, diplomats from Qatar and Pakistan raced in, ferrying messages between Tehran and Washington that a peace deal was almost done on Wednesday and convincing Trump to call off new strikes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026
By May, however, it still had not received any tuition payments from BFW and decided to call off the partnership, EduSavo Oy's CEO Mira Repo told the BBC.
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
He backed off after a somewhat conciliatory phone call with Lurie, in which Trump said the mayor asked him “very nicely” to call off the deployment.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
At the time Alekseyev was filmed sitting with Prigozhin in a Russian military compound taken over by Wagner, trying to convince the mercenary chief to call off his troops.
From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026
He should stop it—he should call off the duel now.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
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.
