off the rails

Idioms  

1. In an abnormal or malfunctioning condition, as in Her political campaign has been off the rails for months. The phrase occurs commonly with go, as in Once the superintendent resigned, the effort to reform the school system went off the rails. This idiom alludes to the rails on which trains run; if a train goes off the rails, it stops or crashes. [Mid-1800s]

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

off the rails

That went off the rails early, however, with the team losing Slater to a season-ending injury in training camp and Alt soon after the season started.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

An upbeat tournament suddenly feels a little off the rails.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

The MGM thing blew up because they were off the rails.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

Here’s how AI momentum went off the rails.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 28, 2026

Her own curiosity is the one thing that has kept her from going off the rails.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline