call off
HighNeutral to Informal
Definition
Meaning
To cancel something that has been arranged.
To order a person or animal to stop attacking or pursuing someone; to officially end a period of industrial action or a military operation; to decide something will not happen after all.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
A separable phrasal verb. The object can go between 'call' and 'off'. It primarily describes the cancellation of planned events, but can be extended to other planned or ongoing actions.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. However, in sports contexts, Americans use "call off" for the cancellation of a game, while Brits might use "call off" or simply "cancel". In the context of animal control, both use "call off" (e.g., to call off a dog).
Connotations
Slightly more urgent or pragmatic in American usage when canceling events. In British usage, it can sound slightly less formal than 'cancel'.
Frequency
Very high and comparable frequency in both dialects. A core, everyday phrasal verb.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
SVO (call something off)SV (The meeting was called off.)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “To call off the dogs (idiomatic: to stop criticizing or attacking someone)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
We had to call off the merger talks due to market volatility.
Academic
The field trip was called off because of unsafe weather conditions.
Everyday
Sorry, I need to call off our dinner plans for tonight.
Technical
Ground control ordered the pilot to call off the landing attempt.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- They've had to call off the garden fete due to the rain.
- Can you call off your hound, please?
- The workers voted to call off the strike.
American English
- We had to call off the barbecue because of the storm.
- Call off the search; we found the missing hiker.
- The team called off the play at the last second.
adverb
British English
- He shouted call off. (ungrammatical/nonsense)
- She ran call off. (ungrammatical/nonsense)
American English
- They left call off. (ungrammatical/nonsense)
- It happened call off. (ungrammatical/nonsense)
adjective
British English
- This is a called-off event. (grammatical but rare)
- He gave a called-off look. (ungrammatical/nonsense)
American English
- The game was called-off. (hyphenated compound adjective is possible but informal)
- A called-off wedding is sad. (possible)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The football match was called off.
- I called off my birthday party.
- They called off the meeting because the manager was ill.
- Please call off your dog; it's frightening the children.
- After three days of futile searching, the authorities reluctantly called off the rescue operation.
- The company called off the product launch at the eleventh hour due to a critical design flaw.
- The union agreed to call off the industrial action pending further negotiations.
- Faced with overwhelming political pressure, the president was forced to call off the controversial military exercise.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a football referee blowing a whistle and calling off the game. The action is 'called' and it's taken 'off' the schedule.
Conceptual Metaphor
CANCELLATION IS A PHYSICAL REMOVAL (taking an event off the calendar/agenda).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate literally as 'звать прочь' or 'вызывать прочь'. This makes no sense. The correct conceptual translation is usually 'отменять' or, for animals/dogs, 'отозвать'.
- Beware of the separable nature. 'I called the meeting off' = 'Я отменил встречу'. The object can split the verb.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'I called off it.' (Correct: 'I called it off.' - pronoun objects must go between).
- Incorrect: 'We called off to go.' (Incorrect structure. Use: 'We called off the trip.').
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'call off' used INCORRECTLY?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is neutral but leans slightly informal. In very formal writing, 'cancel', 'terminate', or 'abandon' might be preferred, but 'call off' is perfectly acceptable in most professional and everyday contexts.
Not directly for cancelling a person. You call off an event or an action. However, you can 'call off' a person (or animal) who is attacking or pursuing, meaning to order them to stop.
'Call off' means to cancel entirely, with no definite plan to reschedule. 'Postpone' means to delay to a later, specific time.
The pronoun (it, them) MUST go between the verb and the particle: 'call it off', 'call them off'. Never 'call off it'.