offstage

American  

[awf-steyj, of-] / ˈɔfˈsteɪdʒ, ˈɒf- /

adverb

1. off the stage or in the wings; away from the view of the audience (opposed to onstage).

2. in one's private life rather than on the stage.

   Offstage the actress seemed rather plain.

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adjective

1. not in view of the audience; backstage, in the wings, etc..

   an offstage crash.

2. withheld from public view or attention; private.

   offstage political meetings.

offstage British  

/ ˈɒfˈsteɪdʒ /

adjective

1. out of the view of the audience; off the stage

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Etymology

Origin of offstage

First recorded in 1920–25; off + stage

Explanation

Offstage describes something that happens in the area of a theater stage that the audience can't see. An actor who's getting ready for his cue to stride onstage and say, "To be or not to be!" stands offstage. Offstage is a handy adverb when you're talking about a play. Things that happen offstage might not be visible to the audience, but they're vital to the show: costumers sew on missing buttons offstage, stagehands move parts of the set offstage during scene changes, and actors practice their lines offstage. Offstage works as an adjective or noun as well. You can use it figuratively too, for anything that goes on out of public sight.

Example Sentences

The first lady sat next to the president when the shooting occurred and ducked under a table before she was ushered by security offstage.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

Instead of taking the mic as planned, Trump would be whisked offstage by Secret Service agents after shots rang out near the cavernous ballroom.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026

Then, he satirizes conservatives’ discomfort with his Blackness by sitting silently as Martin Short, playing a nervous young Republican delivering a hackneyed diatribe, shudders in his presence before scampering offstage to fall apart.

From Salon • Feb. 22, 2026

So it seemed worth checking in on the tour again as Carpenter, 26, gets close to stepping offstage.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 17, 2025

Owen checked his phone when they were all the way offstage.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Related Words

• unauthorized