call off
Britishverb
-
to cancel or abandon
the game was called off because of rain
-
to order (an animal or person) to desist or summon away
the man called off his dog
-
to stop (something) or give the order to stop
-
Summon away, restrain, as in Please call off your dog . [Early 1600s]
-
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.
An Arab diplomat told the BBC's US partner, CBS News, that the negotiations between Tehran and Washington were never officially called off but had been in flux on Wednesday morning.
From BBC
He might have called off the deal altogether, and I wasn’t about to let that happen.
From Literature
![]()
If called off, launches can also be attempted on the following two days.
From Barron's
But his lawyers returned to court on Tuesday afternoon following claims that the Lord of the Dance performance due to take place at Dublin's 3Arena had been called off with immediate effect.
From BBC
A number of artists have in recent months called off appearances, including a production of the musical "Hamilton," operatic soprano Renee Fleming and composer Philip Glass.
From Barron's
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.