off the track

Idioms  

1. Away from one's objective, train of thought, or a sequence of events, It is often put as, as in Your question has gotten me off the track, or The interruption threw Mom off the track and she forgot what she'd already put into the stew. This term comes from railroading, where it means “derailed.” Its figurative use was first recorded in 1875.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

off the track

For the second day in a row, Antonelli complained about Russell's driving, accusing him of pushing him off the track.

From BBC ● May 24, 2026

The Italian said he was "very annoyed" by an incident at Turn One on lap six, in which he tried to overtake Russell around the outside and ended up off the track.

From BBC ● May 23, 2026

Images circulating on social media showed the truck performing a wheelie before swerving off the track and crashing into the barriers separating the public from the track.

From Barron's ● May 4, 2026

A title favorite this year from Unitree, one of China’s top humanoid-robot makers, collapsed several times and was taken off the track on a stretcher, leaving the race unfinished.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

Maybe I should’ve let Principal Trask kick me off the track team.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée