off-brand
Americanadjective
-
not having a recognized or popular brand or name.
an off-brand TV set.
-
being a cheap or inferior brand or grade.
off-brand batteries that never work when you need them.
noun
-
a brand or name that is unrecognized or relatively unfamiliar.
-
a cheap or inferior brand.
Etymology
Origin of off-brand
First recorded in 1890–95
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.
Residential proxy software has been spotted on cheap, off-brand video-streaming gadgets, too.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
It’s music that never met a mismatched rear spoiler it didn’t love—tunes that are likely to show up with an off-brand energy drink and a new exotic pet.
From Salon • May 16, 2025
“It would be off-brand for them to be selling things that consumers think would be too expensive.”
From Slate • Jul. 24, 2024
The family lived close to the poverty line, but Chuculate’s stories about this, while filled with sharp details about ill-fitting shoes and off-brand products, are gentle in spirit, marked by rueful humor.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 2, 2023
Nali’s definition of pasta was an off-brand Chef Boyardee.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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.
