call off — cancel
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
To decide that something planned will not happen, usually because of a problem or change in situation.
Say it like a native
Textbook The event has been cancelled owing to inclement weather.
Native They called off the event because of the weather.
'Call off' is the everyday verb for cancelling a planned event; 'cancelled owing to inclement weather' is announcement-formal.
Pattern: call off + noun
In use
- They had to call off the picnic because it started raining.daily life
- In my opinion, it’s important to let everyone know as soon as possible if you need to call off a meeting, so people can adjust their plans.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ They called the wedding off because of it. They called off it.
✓ They called it off.
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'call it off'.
Common collocations
call off + event— the wedding, the search, the strike, the deal
Don't confuse it
Do not confuse with 'put off', which means to delay or postpone something, not cancel it.