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Synonyms

off the beaten track

Idioms  

  1. An unusual route or destination, as in We found a great vacation spot, off the beaten track. This term alludes to a well-worn path trodden down by many feet and was first recorded in 1860, although the phrase beaten track was recorded in 1638 in reference to the usual, unoriginal way of doing something.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It is also a lever for encouraging tourism into an area far off the beaten track.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

The town is so off the beaten track, the loudest sound is cows mooing in the distance.

From Seattle Times • May 25, 2024

Much of Dudamel’s program went intriguingly off the beaten track, turning to “The Cowboys” and “Amistad.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 21, 2023

Once a fishing village, over the past 30 years, Treasure Beach has become a beacon for tourists looking to travel off the beaten track.

From New York Times • Mar. 9, 2023

The entire band had been clamouring for years for something fresh, "off the beaten track," and this is how they received it when they got it!

From Oscar Wilde by Ingleby, Leonard Cresswell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.