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• off-the-record
  off-the-record

  adjective

  not for publication; not to be quoted.
• off the record
  off the record

  adjective

  not intended for publication or disclosure; confidential

off-the-record

American  

[awf-thuh-rek-erd, of-] / ˈɔf ðəˈrɛk ərd, ˈɒf- /

adjective

1. not for publication; not to be quoted.

   a candidate's off-the-record remarks to reporters.

2. confidential.

   off-the-record information.

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off the record British  

adjective

1. not intended for publication or disclosure; confidential

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adverb

1. with such an intention; unofficially

off the record Idioms  

1. Unofficially, in confidence, not for publication, as in What he was about to say, he told the reporters, was strictly off the record. Probably alluding to striking evidence from a court record (because it is irrelevant or improper), this term came into wide use in the mid-1900s, especially with reference to persons who did not wish to be quoted by journalists. For antonyms, see go on record; just for the record.

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Etymology

Origin of off-the-record

First recorded in 1930–35

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

off-the-record off the record

Parton preferred to let her closet make the statements, while quietly building a kind of everybody-love-everybody progressivism that promoted equality and kindness while remaining mostly off-the-record.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

The conversation was private and strictly off-the-record: The venue had been changed at the last minute to avoid spying.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

You do, at times, hear deeply off-the-record mutterings from parts of German industry to this effect.

From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026

In an interview on Thursday, Mr. Folkenflik said he did not violate an off-the-record agreement with Mr. Lewis to report Thursday’s article.

From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2024

“No amount of bombing can end the war,” an exhausted-looking McNamara told a few reporters in an off-the-record discussion in February.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

They’ll have to tell their sources: “It’s off the record, non-Woodward rules.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026

He’s also in the process of working on a feature film inspired by his time at USC — the exact details of which his staff member reminds him are also off the record.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

But many a conversation, often off the record, has been had over coffee in the hospitality areas.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026

“We are just over 5% off the record high,” Turnquist of the S&P 500.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 19, 2026

They lean down to confer with their clients, go on and off the record, consult their calendars.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

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Related Words

• confidentially
• privately

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