off-grid

American  

[awf-grid, of‐] / ˈɔfˌgrɪd, ˈɒf‐ /

off-the-grid, or off grid

adjective

1. not connected to or using one or more public utilities, as for electricity or water: Our farm is off grid and works on solar panels.

   Well over a billion people live in off-grid areas.

   Our farm is off grid and works on solar panels.

2. not connected to or using one or more public communications networks, as for cellular service.

   They live off grid with no internet access.

3. not having communication with the outside world; not participating in society.

   I sometimes fantasize about a solitary, off-grid life, far away from humanity.

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off-grid British  

adjective

1. not involving or requiring the use of mainstream sources of energy

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Etymology

Origin of off-grid

First recorded in 1975–80

Explanation

Anything that's off-grid doesn't use public utilities like electricity or water. Your dream house might be an off-grid cabin, but you should probably try using an outhouse in the winter before you actually move into one! Off-grid sometimes refers specifically to the national grid, which is made up of regional power plants that provide electricity to most Americans. If solar panels on your roof generate all your electricity, you live in an off-grid home. It can also mean "outside of and not dependent on society" more generally: "I wanted an off-grid life, so I moved into the woods and got some chickens and goats."

Example Sentences

Hsieh’s group is also building a wireless network using Meshtastic, an open-source technology that uses off-grid texting devices, for civilians to communicate even if China cuts the subsea cables.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Saxon also told the court that West wanted to "gut" the beach house, which was built and designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando, to make it off-grid.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

It’s also helping other companies that can quickly set up off-grid power plants.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

Mingo County is considering two more off-grid plants branded as the “Adams Fork Data Center Energy Campus.”

From Salon • Dec. 28, 2025

Over the past few months Kelton’s family has assembled an over-the-top surveillance system, set up a mini greenhouse in their side yard, and lined their entire roof with some kind of unregistered, off-grid solar panels.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman