Meaning
- To cancel something like a plan or appointment.
- To stop or halt and action or behavior.
- To direct attention away from something or someone.
Today’s Sentences
01
She called off the wedding.
Situation
What happened?
She called off the wedding.
Have you spoken to her?
Well she said she was sorry but that’s all.
02
I’m going to have to call off the appointment.
Situation
Hello, is this Jonathan?
Yes, it is.
May I ask who’s calling?
I’m going to have to call off the appointment you made tomorrow.
Do you think I could reschedule for next week?
Writer’s Note
The phrasal verb ‘call off‘ is separable and transitive.
- Transitive: Requires a direct object to make sense.
Example: They had to call off the wedding due to unforeseen circumstances.
Example: I had to call off our meeting because something urgent came up. - Separable: An object can come between the verb ‘call’ and the particle ‘off’.
Example: The police called it off when the search team found the missing body.
Example: They called the game off due to the heavy rain.
Related words: abandon, abort, break off, cancel, desist, drop, kill postpone, scrub, withdraw