offstage

[ awf-steyj, of- ]

/ ˈɔfˈsteɪdʒ, ˈɒf- /

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See synonyms for offstage on Thesaurus.com

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.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of offstage

First recorded in 1920–25; off + stage

Words nearby offstage

off someone's back, off someone's feet, off someone's hands, off-speed, offspring, offstage, off-street, off stump, offtake, off the air, off the beam

How to use offstage in a sentence

The curious offstage character is the playwright, who was in college in New York at the time of his mother’s ordeal.
A harrowing hostage story is told with stunning subtlety in Broadway’s ‘Dana H.’||October 18, 2021|Washington Post
Though few of these former Facebook employees have spoken as publicly and potently as Haugen has, many have sat just offstage for months, sometimes years, roiling over what they saw while working at Facebook.
Like whistleblower Frances Haugen, these Facebook employees warned about the company’s problems for years. No one listened.|Elizabeth Dwoskin, Craig Timberg|October 8, 2021|Washington Post
Miranda had stayed offstage when he put together his campus production of In the Heights at Wesleyan, but in 2002, Kail suggested he might as well play supporting character Usnavi.
How In the Heights went from a student musical to one of the summer’s biggest movies|Constance Grady|June 11, 2021|Vox
I look in the wings offstage, and Rip Taylor is laughing his ass off.
The Life & Times of the Unknown Comic!|Eugene Robinson|April 1, 2021|Ozy

Ethiopia Habtemariam, the president of Motown Records, has spent the past year assisting her artists in navigating the painful reality of life offstage while retooling album-release plans.
Motown President Ethiopia Habtemariam on Steering the Legendary Label Through the Pandemic|Eben Shapiro|February 7, 2021|Time
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|DAILY BEAST
All these folks were full of gripping stories about their time with Pryor, since he created much drama offstage as well as on.
How Richard Pryor Beat Bill Cosby and Transformed America|David Yaffe, Scott Saul|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And they never break character, even offstage—at least in front of the press.
In the Backseat With Janelle Monae: A Limo Ride with the Stylish R&B Diva|Douglas Wolk|April 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The agents of their slide were many, and they operated offstage.
The End of Us And Them: David Cannadine’s Quest to Unite History|Jimmy So|May 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Just offstage, however, stands a nation of unemployed, abandoned and desperate people.
The Spectator Reviews "Patriots"|David Frum|June 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He used even Johnny Simms as an offstage voice repeating stern commands.
Operation: Outer Space|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
And even if he found them, who would believe an actor offstage, delivering such improbable lines?
My Fair Planet|Evelyn E. Smith
When Ophelia perishes offstage you don't think of post-mortem lividity or foam on the mouth.
The Trial of Callista Blake|Edgar Pangborn
"—caught red-handed with the incriminating papers," shouted an offstage announcer.
The Junkmakers|Albert R. Teichner

British Dictionary definitions for offstage

offstage

/ (ˈɒfˈsteɪdʒ) /

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

offstage

Origin of offstage

Words nearby offstage

Words related to offstage

How to use offstage in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for offstage