off-topic
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of off-topic
First recorded in 1970–75
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.
Assess which versions seem too easy, too difficult, off-topic or somehow unclear, then try to pick which version was actually used on the show.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
But now reporters were asking a barrage of off-topic questions, from the California High Speed Rail to the 2028 Olympics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
I begin this literary day slightly off-topic, to the west of Las Letras, but with reason.
From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026
But when asked off-topic questions, the tool sometimes got tripped up and shared false information.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 12, 2023
I made it through homeroom without speaking to anybody and was just settling in for a nice period of off-topic journal writing in Miss Palma’s class when the intercom blared, calling me to the office.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
![]()
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.