off-message
adjective
straying from or contradicting the central theme or official message of a political, business, or other organization.
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off-message
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off message
off messageadjective(off-message when prenominal) not adhering to or reflecting the official line of a political party, government, or other organization
off-message
American
[awf-mes-ij, of-]
/ ˈɔfˈmɛs ɪdʒ, ˈɒf- /
adjective
off message
British
adjective
Etymology
Origin of off-message
An Americanism dating back to 1990–95; off ( def. ) + message ( def. )
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.
See Examples For:
But users online reported Olive has in recent weeks gone slightly off-message while on the phone.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
That students aren’t allowed to ever be off-message and self-aggrandizing?
From Slate ● May 2, 2024
Then he quickly went off-message, touting a cognitive test he took as president, his administration’s campaign against the Islamic State group and other familiar themes.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 17, 2024
She is not a political obsessive — which can lead, occasionally, to off-message moments.
From New York Times ● Feb. 1, 2020
What they love even more is sharing quotes where their opponents have put their feet in their mouths or gone off-message.
From BBC ● May 21, 2017
They’ll also guarantee more opportunities for the president to go off message.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Campaigns dread the unexpected headline or crisis that pushes their candidates off message and changes the trajectory of a race.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2024
But suddenly, he was on the verge of going off message.
From New York Times ● Feb. 12, 2023
Not long before King’s address, she rose to the microphone to speak, but was cut off after saying “hello,” apparently for fear that she would say something off message.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 18, 2021
But, as he was neither brave nor determined, he remained at Fort Edward, sending off message after message to New York, for help which could not possibly arrive in time.
From With Wolfe in Canada The Winning of a Continent by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
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.
