Call it a day means to stop working for today because you've done enough. The idea is that you count the work done so far as a full day, and the rest can wait until tomorrow. People also use it about leaving a profession or a sport for good. The idiom is conversational and doesn't suit an IELTS essay.
When would you say call it a day?
Write a sentence — we'll check that the expression fits the situation and suggest what to fix.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
let's call it a day; call it a day + at/after + time; decide to call it a day
- It's almost eight and we're all tired, so let's call it a day and finish the report tomorrow.
- We painted two walls before lunch and then called it a day.
- After twenty years as a football coach, he decided to call it a day.
What changed
First versionI'm exhausted, so let's call a day and meet again tomorrow.
RevisionI'm exhausted, so let's call it a day and meet again tomorrow.
The it in this idiom doesn't refer to anything specific, so it is easy to leave out. But without it the idiom doesn't work: English doesn't say call a day. You need call it a day.
When people stop late in the evening, they often say call it a night: It's past midnight, so let's call it a night. The meaning is the same, but it is about a party, a game or working late.
Your turn
We've been working on this since nine and nobody can think clearly any more, so let's ___.
Show the answer
call it a day — Everyone has been working since the morning and can no longer think clearly, so it's time to stop: call it a day. Make a day of it means “to spend a whole day enjoying something”: The weather was lovely, so we made a day of it at the beach.
Think of a day when you stopped work or study earlier than planned. Say what you were doing and why you stopped.
I planned to revise for my chemistry exam all afternoon, but by four I was reading the same page again and again, so I called it a day.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.