offstage

[awf-steyj, of-]

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adverb

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

in one's private life rather than on the stage: Offstage the actress seemed rather plain.

adjective

not in view of the audience; backstage, in the wings, etc.: an offstage crash.

withheld from public view or attention; private: offstage political meetings.

Origin of offstage

First recorded in 1920–25; off + stage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for offstage

unauthorized, casual, contraband, officious, unorthodox, unsanctioned

Examples from the Web for offstage

Contemporary Examples of offstage

He needed his art because, offstage, the chaos was sometimes too much.
How Richard Pryor Beat Bill Cosby and Transformed America
David Yaffe, Scott Saul
December 10, 2014
Just offstage, however, stands a nation of unemployed, abandoned and desperate people.
The Spectator Reviews "Patriots"
David Frum
June 14, 2012
His remarks were frantic, almost harried; he seemed eager to check his boxes and get offstage.
Why Mitt Romney Is Winning, and Rick Perry Is Losing
Andrew Romano
January 3, 2012
Even from "offstage" I was led to believe I was the star of the show.
How I Found My Voice
Carly Simon
June 7, 2009

Historical Examples of offstage

He used even Johnny Simms as an offstage voice repeating stern commands.
Operation: Outer Space
William Fitzgerald Jenkins
"—caught red-handed with the incriminating papers," shouted an offstage announcer.
The Junkmakers
Albert R. Teichner

British Dictionary definitions for offstage

offstage

adjective, adverb

out of the view of the audience; off the stage

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012