# call off

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/call-off
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. to cancel a plan

phrasal verb · CEFR B1

to decide that a planned event will not happen.

For teachers: to cancel or abandon a scheduled event, often due to unfavorable circumstances.

- The referee had to call off the match because the field was flooded.
- The board decided to call off the merger negotiations after the due diligence report revealed significant undisclosed liabilities.

Usage: This phrasal verb is transitive and separable; the object can sit between 'call' and 'off'.

### 2. to stop an attack

phrasal verb · CEFR B2

to order a person or animal to stop attacking or chasing someone.

For teachers: to order a person or animal to cease an aggressive pursuit or attack.

- Please call off your dog; it is scaring the children.
- The general was forced to call off the search parties when the blizzard made further movement impossible and dangerous.

Usage: Usually takes a direct object representing the attacker or the searcher.

### 3. to call in sick

phrasal verb · CEFR B2 · American English · Informal

to phone your workplace to say you cannot come in today.

For teachers: to notify an employer of one's absence via telephone.

- I had a terrible fever this morning, so I had to call off.
- Several employees called off this morning, leaving the retail team severely understaffed during the peak holiday shopping hours.

Usage: In this sense, the verb is often used intransitively.

## Examples

- They had to call off the match because of rain.
- The union decided to call off the strike after reaching a new agreement with the management.
- The search party was forced to call off the rescue mission as night fell and the weather conditions became life-threatening.

## Usage notes

- Teaching tip: contrast with 'put off' (to delay) to avoid common confusion between cancellation and postponement.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.